BILL 7 IS IMPERIALISM Vs SOVEREIGNTY: THE MAIN ISSUE!-Saviour Chishimba

BILL 7 IS IMPERIALISM Vs SOVEREIGNTY: THE MAIN ISSUE!

There is an African proverb that “a foolish person eats the meat and the wise one attempts to get the spilled soup on the ground”. This is what the most nauseous Bill 7 is all about. It’s one of the most unnecessary waste of time and resources at a time that our nation has numerous problems that beg urgent action to save lives.

To be sure, the British ate and they are still eating the real meat and we the owners of the country have since 1968 been debating about the useless and tasteless dirty soup on the ground! This is collective national foolishness and all of us are guilty including some of the most big mouthed on Bill 7 today. They are forgetting their own most infamous Bill 10. There is no difference between the two and both were born in evil and darkness.

It’s only a foolish citizenry that can even entertain submitting to or even debating the contents thereof! Debating Bill 7 is a debate on the perpetuation of a colonial law and a denial of our sovereignty, which came by iron and blood during the days of CHACHACHA!

In 1964, the colonial British Government enacted the Zambia Independence Act of 1964, Section 65 of the Laws of England. This colonial statute granted the Crown (Queen or King) the power to issue an Order in Council (let’s say Statutory Instrument) to issue regulations on how the soon to be Republic of Zambia was going to be governed. Accordingly, the Crown used this UK legislation to issue the Zambia Independence Order in Council (Statutory Instrument). This Order had Schedule Two and it’s this Schedule 2 we have all, in our collective national foolishness of 61 years, been referring to us “The Constitution of Zambia”! How foolish!!

In 1968, UNIP used the Inquires Act of UK to conduct the referendum to remove the Referendum clause in Schedule Two! Apparently, Schedule Two provided for the holding of a Referendum if Zambians (not Cabinet or Parliament) wanted to amend any clause in the schedule. The British did this because, like all their former colonies, they expected the people of Zambia to immediately hold a Constituent Assembly to craft a homegrown Constitution in exercise of our new sovereignty as an Independent Republic.

In 1972, thriving on the ignorance of citizens, the UNIP Government used the UK Inquiries Act again and appointed the Chona Constitutional Review Commission on how to run a one party state dictatorship. By 1973 Cabinet had its way and imposed dictatorship on Zambians.

In 1990, the UNIP Government used the UK Inquiries Act again and appointed the Mvunga Constitutional Review Commission on returning to multiparty democracy.

In 1996, the new MMD Government, like UNIP, used the Inquiries Act of UK to appoint the Mwanakatwe Constitutional Review Commission and the target was to introduce clauses to bar Kenneth Kaunda from running for President of Zambia on the UNIP ticket. This process was rushed and it was in election year. It was only meant to keep the ruling MMD in power since the KK return to politics had gained traction in the nation.

In 2003, the MMD new deal administration of Mwanawasa used the same foreign UK Inquiries Act to appoint the Mungomba Constitutional Review Commission. This was not an election year.

Although President Mwanawasa made a mistake to use a colonial Act of Parliament to appoint the commission, his administration was genuinely committed to providing leadership to get the country to exercise sovereignty in crafting and enacting a homegrown constitution. The new deal administration was agreeable to the will of the people to adopt the constitution through a Constituent Assembly, although President Mwanawasa chose the wording “Constitutional Conference”. This conference was going to draw Zambians from every walk of life to decide on the basic charter of the land. This was the closest that our country came to what was going to be the first ever Constitution of Zambia. Unfortunately, President Mwanawasa died.

The new Rupiah Banda led MMD was equally committed to the process and truly the Constitutional Conference was appointed and sittings commenced at Mulungushi Conference Centre. Unfortunately, the RB government started scheming to find a way to introduce clauses to require a degree for one to stand for President of Zambia. It was Michael Sata of PF who the regime was attempting to bar, especially that Zambia was closer to elections. CSOs and the Church campaigned against this political mischievousness.  As a humble man, RB listened and the making of the new constitution remained in limbo.

The PF government appointed a technical committee to review the submissions of Zambians in the 4 commissions durong the UNIP and MMD eras. However, after the death of President Sata, the new President Lungu went back to the same old abuse of state power by abandoning the holding of the constitutional conference in favour of using parliament since PF had majority seats. Foolishly, PF abused its parliamentary majority to amend the same British Schedule Two and this is why the piece of paper we wrongly call “Constitution” is cited as “The Constitution of Zambia Amendment Act No. 2 of 2016”.  It’s simply an amendment of the colonial schedule.

Prior to the 2021 elections, the PF foolishly introduced Bill 10 in the name of including progressive clauses in the “constitution”. Zambians, through CSOs and the Church, resoundingly rejected this. Bill 10 died.

In view of the forgoing its unthinkable that a sane leadership can even imagine the idea of self political preservation in the name of the same old song of “progressive clauses” as the basis to  perpetuate the same colonial schedule.

Our being governed by a foreign schedule, which all governments we have had so far, have been amending for ephemeral ploys to continue in office at the expense of common good is embedded in evil – it emanates from the pit of darkness. This is more spiritual than it’s physical.

UPP calls on Zambians to intensify midnight prayers to dethrone the altar of evil in our land including dethroning the colonial yoke which is still on our necks by law (Schedule Two).

The UPP-led Government SHALL, in year one, effect the Proclamation of Zambia’s Independence by giving Zambians an opportunity to exercise their sovereignty to craft and enact the first ever Constitution of the Republic of the United Kingdom of Zambia.

Saviour Chishimba
UPP LEADER