GOVERNMENT PUTS CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW ON HOLD, SHIFTS TO DROUGHT MITIGATION
GOVERNMENT has placed constitutional amendments on the back burner, prioritising resource mobilisation to address the crippling drought afflicting the nation.
Responding to demands from the Oasis Forum, a civil society group that called for immediate action on constitutional reform and a national referendum, government spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa emphasised the pressing need to tackle the current crisis.
“Constitutional amendment does not sit as one of those top agenda items or priorities on government’s to-do list,” Mweetwa declared. Yesterday during a press briefing.
He cited the “unprecedented severe drought” as the primary rationale for this decision.
The national budget has been significantly impacted, with resources redirected towards addressing critical shortages in food, electricity, and livestock disease control.
“The national budget of this year has been consequently affected through realignment of resources from line spending agencies into responding to this national disaster,” Mweetwa explained.
Mweetwa further clarified that the responsibility for constitutional reform lies not solely with the government, but also with the citizenry.
He referenced the preamble of the current constitution, which states: “We the people, through those gathered at the national assembly, give ourselves this constitution.”
“When that process of constitutional amendment becomes active, it will require that citizens make proposals that should inform the contents that should be carried along through those processes,” he stated.
Mweetwa urged the Oasis Forum to adopt a more collaborative approach in advancing national agendas.
He called for “engagement, consultation, consensus building” instead of a confrontational approach.
Kalemba
Lies and deceit the Modus Operandi of this government..The Oasis Forum is not the initiator of talks on the Constitutional Reforms as the discredited Initiator and Promoter of Tribal Hate Speech , Cornelius Mweetwa, is presenting. The Oasis Forum reacted to the government’s secret agenda to amend the Constitution using some bedroom approach, without the engagement of the people, and therefore demanded an open and transparent engagement, and program for the process.
The government has seen that touching the constitution, and amending what it was calling non contentious clauses will open another front of resistance for a government which is daily losing popularity …the drought is some convenient excuse.
We thank the Oasis Forum for being alert, and to remain alert as this government is on a trajectory to destroy the democracy we laboured to create from 1991.