KBN TV EDITORIAL – WHAT WAS POISON THEN, IS NOW BEEF STEW: THE COSTLY PRICE FOR INCONSISTENT LEADERSHIP
Realizing that time has run-out to build consensus on the proposed constitutional amendment, suddenly everyone has woken up to speak in the hope of salvaging something.
Like the Law Association of Zambia has opined, we don’t have a problem with any constitutional amendment if the process is clear, transparent, consultative and inclusive. We share similar concerns with LAZ about the ill timing of this proposal, a year before an election.
Our other major concern is the levels of deception and inconsistencies revealed through the current attempt at proposing constitutional amendment. One just needs to read a few screenshots below to realize the depth of deception.
As a nation, we should get serious and demand accountability from our leaders. That’s the democracy we chose for ourselves. Anyone who wants to lead the nation, must be ready to respond to the desires and wishes of the people.
No citizen should feel intimidated to question the actions of our servants called leaders. They are in charge of our national purse, therefore, they should remain accountable to us as citizens.
Let’s do the right thing and stop hiding in the name of doing politics; this is a nation and the lives of God’s people are at stake! As such, the quality of decisions that our leaders make should be inspiring rather than deceptive.
A few years back, the PF in power assembled a technical team, published a roadmap for constitutional amendment which gave birth to Bill 10. They held several consultative meetings with various stakeholders including the Church, opposition political party leaders, women, differently abled persons and the youths.
Throughout that transparent process, the PF advanced Bill 10 which to a certain degree and with hindsight, contained some very progressive propositions such as proportional representation.
We recall that while in opposition, President Hakainde Hichilema never spared a moment to denounce Bill 10, calling it poison. He failed to point out what exactly was wrong with the Bill, but succeeded at a wholesome condemnation.
When the Bill finally collapsed on the floor of the House, President Hichilema hosted a celebration at his Community House.
Shockingly, after so much talk about the UPND’s constitutional amendment desire, the President has denied harbouring any intentions to extend the presidential term limit or removing the 50+1 or scrapping off the running mate clause.
The question that begs an answer now is, after everything is said and done, what’s the big deal, what’s new about the much tauted constitutional amendment? Guess what the noise is all about, we have now come to learn, it’s all about proportional representation!
Are you kidding me? How can something that President Hichilema so passionately condemned, calling it poison, suddenly become beef stew to serve the public?
Where is the rationale? proportional representation proposed by the PF is poison, but the same proposed by Mr. Hichilema is a sumptuous beef stew meal! Amazing!
Truly wonders shall never end! In four years, the President has proven to be dangerously inconsistent and totally untrustworthy. At every turn, he has proven that keeping his word is a costly impossibility.
The very thing that he denounced in Bill 10 is what he wants to introduce through a secretly drafted document.
How can he justify that out of all the Zambian Missions abroad as shown in the table below, only 10 women are serving as Ambassadors, and he should now say we need to change the constitution to accommodate more women?
How come, out of his constitutional prerogative of nominating 8 members of Parliament, no single youth was nominated to Parliament, and today, he should tell us that we need to change the constitution to have more youths in leadership?
With all the opportunities before him, President Hichilema failed to demonstrate commitment to what he is pushing for now through constitutional amendment.
The fact that he has been wantonly inconsistent on many issues in the past and now, makes it impossible to trust his beef stew theory!
It’s not surprising that a growing list of his loyalists are beginning to question what they believed and supported, and they are now openly speaking out on social media in their numbers.
Clearly President Hakainde has lost a huge chunk of his loyalists, that’s the costly price you pay for inconsistent leadership.