CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT BILL NO. 7 HAS NO LEGAL BACKING- charges Dr M’membe
…..and it is NOT critical to the survival of the people socially, economically and politically charges Dr M’membe
Lusaka… Wednesday July 16, 2025 – Socialist Party (SP) President Dr Fred M’membe says the constitutional amendments championed by President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND have no legal backing.
Dr. M’membe says there must be an Act of Parliament under which those consultations should be carried out.
He says it is very clear that this is not an exercise of the Zambian people but for Mr Hichilema himself.
He wonders if the current amendments are critical to the survival of the Zambian people questioning if the country can collapse if they are not done before the elections.
Dr. M’membe has maintained that the amendments are aimed at cementing President Hichilema’s stay in office beyond 2026.
The Socialist Party leader said this when he and his General Secretary Dr Cosmas Musumali featured on ‘Socialist Hour’ programme on Hot FM Radio in Lusaka.
“Bill No. 7 of 2025, you can sum it up in few words as, Political preservation of Mr Hichilema securing his second term in office in a manner that is not highly contested. If you look at the changes the majority of them have to do with elections. You don’t need to have legal training to understand what Mr Hichilema is trying to do. Basically, it’s about Mr Hichilema, conceived by him and implemented by him. It’s being imposed on the Zambian people by Mr Hichilema. These are not the views coming from the people but from Mr Hichilema. There is no legal framework for discussion, it’s about who he wants to meet. He sends his minister of Justice on a mission that they claim it’s consultation, it’s not consultation. It’s propagation, they went out there to force the people of Zambia on the things they want to change (in the constitution). Mr Hichilema is adamant about the thirteen changes or amendments he wants to make,” he stated.
“The thirteen changes were not a product of discourse. He came up with them himself. We have gone through the number of statements, at first they denied that they were not going to change the constitution. Eventually they started doing what they denied doing. That tells you there was no honest in the approach of this whole thing. These are not Constitutional Amendments made by the people but by Mr Hichilema.”
Dr. M’membe further said the consultations they are making are simply attempts to force their way on the people of Zambia.
He has also asserted that President Hichilema does not want to be criticized and that he cries foul that the people just hate him based on his originality.
“You remember when CSOs went to meet him at his own invitation, he went to cry that he has never seen such hatred. To him all those opposing the amendments are doing so because they hate him because of where he comes from. It’s very common for HH when he is criticized he complains of hatred that’s why we have all those laws about hate speech. A lot of people are going to prison because they criticize his regional appointments,” he added.
“Apart from HH and his UPND, who else is supporting that? The churches, opposition political parties, LAZ and other groups have said no to these amendments. Why does he want to make these Amendments at all cost? Are they the solutions to the challenges the people are facing economically, socially and politically? If they are not done, this year, then Zambia will collapse next year?”
Speaking at the same programme, Dr. Musumali said he has never seen this high levels of deceitfulness the country before.
He said in the proposed amendments, the UPND wants to increase the number of Constituencies from their perceived strongholds.
He said from the current 156 constituencies, they want the country to have 211 adding 55 more constituencies.
How much do you sale the CUP Or BOTTLE of jealous????????????? To be honest speaking fuledi mmembe he is a jealous man, for those who doesn’t know this man stated year back2006 preaching hatrages and tribalism towards HH main reason best know by himself.When MAZOKA was poisoned fuledi mmembe through his post newspaper started writing bad articles about MAZOKA look at his trousers are hanging can you imagine no normal person can do that, only MUTINTA MAZOKA sees good things from this devil /Lucifer.Im sure all his children has been recruited how to hate people for no reasons.
Says a law graduate that has failed to understand the process and wants to come here and mislead us. A former accountant who failed to adhere to tax laws and led to his company to be liquidated.
Mmembe you are in no position to criticise. Your record in private sector leadership is dissmal and your economic policies under SP are either a “cut and paste” of the current administration or unattainable in this age and era. All those countries you glorify and get funding from have its citizens wallowing in poverty (Cuba where the Minister resigned for lying on the issue), Russia whose human rights record is so bad. Venezuela whose citizens are the largest reason for Trump’s immigration policy. North Korea…where does one begin. So please sit down and do some sobering introspect.
Comrade you are absolutely right but as usual our colleagues want to always be champions of even issues that have gone off rail. LAZ has done well to again subject them to the court process which ruled in favor of the majority on Bill 7 so that again they are shown the correct path, it is only these court knockouts that will gradually sober them up so that they begin to listen, because on their own, they have shown resilience against the majority voices.
LAZ IS PF and the last time I checked they have never won any cases in recent past. Let them sue to spend some of their money on an issue the ConCourt could not pronounce itself because they know about the separation of powers.
The Zambian laws it was agreed have a lot of lacuna and need no delay. This government means we’ll.
Fred M’membe asks; Are the current amendments critical to the survival of the Zambian people and questioned if the country can collapse if they are not done before the elections.
HER ARE THE CRUCIAL TWO ANSWERS.
1. Every 10 years the constitution of Zambia has to be amended because a lot would’ve happened in that long period e.g. population growth, economic parameters, human movements. Gender issues, political and social landscape etc.
2. Survival? YES, because e.g. through delimitation attention will be given to the regrouped population in new constituencies, they will receive direct economic and social benefits such as new Hospitals, Schools, Water and Sanitation services, Social security…etc.
Only unbiased minds are able to visualize these benefits, the opposition are instead seeing UPND having more MPs in parliament and not good for them. Why such conviction yet there shall be elections for them to field their candidates?