⬆️ READER OPINION | Bill 7 Protest: Who Are The Majority?
I write after following your coverage of the November 28 protest calls and the debate around the constitutional amendment process. My concern is simple. The loudest voices against Bill 7 seem to be concentrated in very specific parts of the country. Without sounding divisive, anyone who reads the news can see the pattern.
The organisers who have approached my office, the clergy who are leading the conversations, and the civil society voices pushing hardest all appear to come from the same region. This is a fact that is visible in the media. It raises questions about whether this truly reflects national sentiment.
If the message is that the majority of Zambians are unhappy, then we must ask what measure is being used to make that claim. We have not seen mass mobilisation in Central Province. No large movement has taken shape in Southern, Western, Copperbelt, Luapula or Eastern.
Even in North Western there is silence. The biggest organised activity remains in Lusaka and in the Northern zone where Catholic leaders have taken strong positions. Does this represent the majority, or are these isolated but influential pockets?
The organisers and the media insist the Bill is dangerous. They say it gives the ruling party an advantage. They say it opens the door to power consolidation. Yet, to date, the public has not been shown the exact clauses that create those risks.
Many of us would like to read the specific sections that pose a threat. We hear warnings, but we do not see evidence. If this is a national crisis, the public deserves a clause-by-clause explanation.
I expected the media, including your platform, to take the lead in breaking down what is in the Bill. Instead, we continue to hear general statements with no supporting detail. If there are provisions that tilt the political field, let them be published in full. If there are changes that weaken institutions, let the public see them. People cannot protest against what they have not read or understood.
This is why I worry about the framing of this issue as a nationwide revolt. When support for the protest appears concentrated in only two regions, it becomes hard to claim national consensus. A constitutional debate must unite the country. It must reflect voices from all corners, not only the loudest or the most organised groups. National decisions cannot be driven by regional energy alone.
I urge the media to help citizens make informed choices. Break down the Bill. Publish the clauses. Separate fear from fact. If this reform is dangerous, Zambians will see it. If it is not, the nation will also judge for itself. What we need is clarity, not pressure. What we need is information, not emotion.
Submission by: Mwasha Kabanda
Editor’s Note (very important):
This article is part of our Reader Opinion Series. It does not represent the editorial position of The People’s Brief. We publish diverse viewpoints to enrich national dialogue. For submissions, email: editor.peoplesbrief@gmail.com.
You are not facing the Truth Mr Kabanda.. deliberately chosen to be blind to the evidence.
There were no meaningful numbers of Submissions in Northern, Luapula, Muchinga, Eastern, Copperbelt Provinces…
The only significant numbers of submissions were in Northwestern, Southern, Western and Central Provinces ofcourse for obvious reasons.
Arch Bishop Ignatius Chama of Kasama is the Chair person of the Zambia Conference Of Catholic Bishops, and can therefore issue statements on behalf of ZCCB. The Bishops who are in ZCCB are in all Diocese of Zambia…Mongu, Solwezi, Ndola, Kabwe, Monze, Livingstone, Lusaka, Mansa , Chipata. To say that the Protests are being organized by Lusaka and northern Zambia is therefore a lie.
Further the Oasis Forum , which is spearheading the protests, has civil society Organisations spread all over Zambia.
So my friend Mr Kabanda, don’t pretend that you don’t know what Bill 7 is all about.
Let Mr Hakainde do the following which Zambians have been asking for since the time he made that outrageous statement –
” Zambians have agreed to Change the Constitution”
. Release the full Census Results
. Release the Delimitation Report.
. Let Mr Hakainde tell us how he came up with 55 additional Parliamentary seats and how these are spread across the country.
But he has failed to do so..
The
Reason is that the majority of those seats are going to 3 regions of Zambia.
The Legislature will be held by 3 regions of Zambia in Perpetuity changing Zambia forever. Whoever holds legislative power owns the Country. They can pass whatever laws they want.
Any laws which do not take care of the interests of the 3 regions won’t pass in Parliament.
Any changes to the constitution in future won’t be possible unless the 3 regions agree.
What Bill 7 does is to create a state within a state.. 3 provinces of Sacreds controlling the other 7 provinces.
Parliament elects the Speaker, and ratifies the appointments of Chief Justice, Deputy chief justice, Attorney General, Solicitor General, Secretary to Treasury, Bank of Zambia Governor, ACC Director, Commissioners of ACC, HRC , ECZ and many other bodies.
These appointments will only be possible once the majority block which holds the legislative power agrees.
This is what Bill 7 wants. A regional Hegemony of the 3 Provinces of Zambia over the 7 other Provinces.
It’s aimed at changing the balance of power in Zambia, from the way it has been from Independence and skewing it to certain Regions.
Some of the other clauses in Bill 7 are just decorative..
It’s all about power and holding it in Perpetuity…The 3 provinces to have it all!
So Mr Kabanda I have answered you.
The Catholic Church is a learned institution..They are able to see Deceit and Crookedness many miles away!
They can’t be fooled.
Mr.Kabanda is very plain and right in his opinion,you talking about the about arch bishop chama who is representing a section of Catholics,are you reducing us all to be Catholics? If the other regions have not submitted to the constitution amendment, should everyone be affected? Let us be factual here,every caring grouping or individuals must must submit either in affirmative to bill 7 or not depending on how you understand it,you don’t need to take it to the streets no all you need is to put it on paper,why inciting the masses to buy into your misunderstanding?The problem here is pure politics and partisan church in the name of Catholic.Let us call a devil by its name;We have many many church gurus all over Zambia and catholic priests are not superior to others for them to be misleading people every time.
Ost unfortunate that there is a certain narrative being perpetuated by the so called voices of the people….
The Catholic Bishops are representatives of all of us.
What barometer are they using to say the majority are against the Bill.
If indeed the larger areas are in the “regions” as purported, is it wrong to deliminate them???
Isn’t that what the constitution demands…
If the so called areas were in other regions, would it be wrong…
Stop being Subjective – Be Objective and let the Law Prevail.
Take the Bill to Parliament and if it Fails, so Be It.
There’s a tribe which doesn’t respect national resources once in power. When government changes they’re the majority of being prosecuted in the right way. Now,the same tribe is trying to hoodwink ‘ Zambians ‘. Mwanawasa started the task force,who were the majority being sent to prison? The same tribe. Who’s against the amendments same tribe.
This is what Bill 7 wants. A regional Hegemony of the 3 Provinces of Zambia over the 7 other Provinces.
It’s aimed at changing the balance of power in Zambia, from the way it has been from Independence and skewing it to certain Regions.
Some of the other clauses in Bill 7 are just decorative..
It’s all about power and holding it in Perpetuity…The 3 provinces to have it all!
It is clear from the above statement given, this guy has let the cat out of the bag. It shows why they fear. From the statement this man has made, he has unknowingly revealed the truth. His own words expose the fear and suspicion driving this agenda. But if, in the past, power was concentrated in the seven provinces, why is it suddenly a problem when the remaining three provinces also have a share? Why is the same power that benefitted them now treated as a threat when extended to others?
This reveals nothing but selfishness. It implies that only certain “special provinces” are fit to rule Zambia—as if leadership is a birthright tied to geography. But where is it written that Zambia must only be governed by people from a particular region? Who decided that?
Let us not forget: the very regions some want to sideline today are the same ones whose people sold their cattle and sacrificed their livelihoods so that others could travel abroad for education, including to Britain. These divisions being sown now are dangerous. If this spirit of regional superiority is not addressed, it may push people—especially in regions like Zambezi—to start questioning whether they even belong to a country that treats them as lesser.
Zambia was built on unity. But if some continue to act as though they cannot be led by anyone outside their preferred three provinces, they risk tearing apart the very fabric of our nation.