Bill 7 Is Not a Constitutional Step Forward. It Is a Democratic Collapse
By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma
This article is a direct rebuttal to Dr. Elias Munshya’s piece titled “Bill 7 Is A Constitutional Step Forward for Zambia.”
Dr. Elias Munshya’s enthusiastic defense of Bill 7 reads less like a legal analysis and more like a public relations exercise. His commendable commitment to constitutionalism cannot excuse the contradictions and democratic failures embedded in this bill.
Let us be clear and uncompromising: Bill 7 is not a reform born of the people. It is an Executive-engineered power grab, crafted in secrecy, devoid of public consent, and fundamentally at odds with the principles of participatory democracy. Wrapping these amendments in the language of inclusion does not make them legitimate. They are hasty, unilateral, and authoritarian in design.
The False Promise of “Democratic Reimagination”
Dr. Munshya celebrates the introduction of proportional representation for youth, women, and persons with disabilities. But this move, while dressed as progressive, is nothing more than political theater.
Where was the national dialogue? When did Zambians agree on these quotas or the criteria behind them? These provisions were not born out of consensus; they were imposed. Representation cannot be manufactured in a boardroom and then marketed as reform. It must emerge through open, transparent, and inclusive deliberation.
Let us not be fooled. Bill 7 was crafted behind closed doors. There were no town halls, no public white papers, and no referendum. That is not democratic reform. That is executive overreach in disguise.
Constituency Expansion or Electoral Manipulation?
The plan to add 55 new constituencies is not a sign of administrative foresight or representational fairness. It is blatant political expansion. In the absence of an independent, data-driven delimitation process, this maneuver reeks of gerrymandering.
Dr. Munshya’s reassurances that the ruling party will not gain unfair advantage are unsubstantiated. There is no transparency, no oversight, and no public data. Who benefits from this sudden expansion? The silence is as revealing as it is alarming.
The Two-Thirds Majority Lie
To claim that Bill 7 is not engineered to secure a two-thirds majority for the ruling party is both disingenuous and insulting. By packing Parliament with unelected appointees through party lists, the Executive is creating a legislative echo chamber.
This tilts the balance of power away from voters and toward ruling elites. In a country without strong proportional safeguards, this is not just undemocratic; it is dangerous. Changing the rules mid-game under the guise of progress is a betrayal of democratic norms.
Civil Service Reform or Executive Capture?
Reducing qualifications for the Secretary to the Cabinet is presented as a minor adjustment. In truth, it opens the door to cronyism. It enables the Executive to install loyalists instead of professionals, further weakening one of the last lines of bureaucratic independence in Zambia.
At a time when the country needs impartial and competent public servants, Bill 7 instead makes room for patronage. This is not reform. It is regression.
Defining Youth While Silencing Their Voice
While defining the age range for youth might sound progressive, it is hollow if the youth themselves were excluded from the process. Were youth organizations consulted? Were they involved at all?
You do not empower young people by handing them empty seats in a chamber they had no say in shaping. True empowerment demands participation, not tokenism. Without it, this is nothing more than identity politics for political gain.
Parliamentary Terms: Clarity Without Consent
Clarifying when parliamentary terms begin and end may offer legal neatness, but it does not solve the deeper issue. These amendments lack legitimacy because they lack consent. You cannot override the will of the people with clever language and procedural precision. Legitimacy in a democracy stems from inclusion, not convenience.
By-Election Reforms: A Direct Attack on Voter Sovereignty
Replacing by-elections with automatic party appointments is an outright assault on democracy. Zambians vote for individuals, not just party brands. Allowing parties to fill vacant seats unilaterally strips citizens of their most sacred democratic right: the vote.
If the cost of elections is truly the concern, then let us debate campaign finance reform. But under no circumstances should financial arguments be used to extinguish democratic participation.
Conclusion: Reform Without the People Is Not Reform
Dr. Munshya claims that Bill 7 is for the people, not for partisanship. That argument falls apart under the weight of a simple truth: the people were not involved
In any democracy worth its name, exclusion equals disqualification. Legitimacy does not lie in the number of provisions a bill contains. It lies in the number of citizens who helped shape those provisions.
Until Bill 7 is taken back to the people through transparent dialogue, independent scrutiny, and national consensus, it cannot be called reform. It is not a step forward. It is a calculated leap into centralized control, cloaked in democratic language but utterly devoid of democratic spirit.