Lusaka Archdiocese Breathes Fire Against Proposed Constitutional Amendments
…Stop the Nonsense and Public Theatrics, Abandon unplanned and unbudgeted for constitutional amendments and concentrate on national development…
●Simply put there is neither a constitutional crisis nor a compelling historical occasion or event to warrant the amending of the Republican constitution.
● Government is in the forefront of championing constitutional delinquency.
●Truth be told, this government has failed to deliver on its political promises because of its own indisposition at law with an inclination to engage in political theatrics.
● The proposal to embark and invest resources in the unbudgeted and self-seeking constitutional amendments is a cruel act against the people of Zambia on the part of the UPND administration.
●We therefore find it nonsensical that a party that actively campaigned against Bil Ten (10) is the same Party that intends to initiate constitutional amendments which they were initially opposed to while in opposition.
●We state to government to abandon the proposed constitutional amendments until an appropriate time.
The Archdiocese of Lusaka Presbyteral Council has noted with dismay and concern the endemic ploy by government to distract the general populace from salient and pressing national issues using amongst other strategies, the proposed constitutional amendments.
We urge government to reconsider
and desist from this culture of political charlatanism of distracting the citizenry on pressing national issues such as the high cost of living, crippling energy crisis, food insecurity, youth unemployment, divisive politics, reduced revenues from the mining sector, increasing arrests and unlawful detention of opposition politicians, selective fight against corruption, nepotism,lack of medicines and deplorable state of health facilities etc.
Therefore, constitutional amendment is not a national priority in the current context and time. It is rather a painful paradox of our times that a government which should be in the forefront of educating citizens on respecting the republican constitution, is the one in the forefront championing constitutional delinquency.
We urge government to abandon the proposed constitutional amendments forthwith and instead focus on addressing pressing national issues of the majority of Zambians who are facing deprivation due to policy discordance of the UPND led government.
Further, government is reminded that it was given the mandate to govern and not to change the constitution.
It must be stated that nowhere has it been
reported that this government has failed to function because of the current constitution. We need not remind this administration that they actively participated in the creation of the current constitution of 2016.
Simply put there is neither a constitutional crisis nor a compelling historical occasion or event to warrant the amending of the Republican constitution.
Truth be told, this government has failed to deliver on its political promises because of its own indisposition at law with an inclination to engage in political theatrics.
Government has misdirected its focus and efforts on attempts to create a UPND hegemony in Zambia’s socio-economnic and political system, through a systematic decimation of the opposition and institutions of governance.
The proposal to embark and invest resources in the unbudgeted and self-seeking constitutional amendments is a cruel act against the people of Zambia on the part of the UPND administration.
We therefore find it nonsensical that a party that actively campaigned against Bil Ten (10) is the same Party that intends to initiate constitutional amendments which they were initially opposed to while in opposition.
We submit to this administration that it re-evaluates and realigns its public policy priorities. In passing we also wish to advise government and its agents to desist from becoming agitated and angry when citizens remind them of their unfulfiled political promises which they made when they were in opposition.
Rather, they should engage in health and constructive dialogue on national issues. In short, we are appealing to the UPND administration to cease the political theatrics that have characterized its approach to governance by ensuring that it has its public policy priorities right. For now, we state to
government to abandon the proposed constitutional amendments until an appropriate time.