By Kellys Kaunda
THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AND CSO’S IN GOVERNANCE
Government is formed by the party that has won elections.
Government consists of the President and the cabinet that he puts together.
In Zambia, cabinet members are appointed from among Members of Parliament.
The President and his cabinet formulate policy and initiate legislation.
They derive the authority to do this from the fact that they were elected.
They received the mandate to do so from the voters. How they go about executing this mandate is spelt out, first, in the constitution, second, in public policy, and third, in the laws they pass.
On the other hand, Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, are formations by members of the public around a stated matter of public interest.
These may be public safety, nuclear energy, food security, constitutional matters, women’s health, etc, etc.
They seek to influence public policy or legislation by lobbying government to adopt their viewpoint.
In Washington, DC, for instance, they have lobbyists with permanent offices always engaging cabinet members, senators and members of congress.
In Brussels, there are similar lobby groups seeking to influence EU policy and legislation favorable to their clients.
What this means is that those that are elected carry the ultimate authority to pass public policy and legislation.
They could choose to accommodate or not the views of the CSOs that lobby them.
And the CSOs must understand these power dynamics.
Specific to the case that has prompted me to write this article, what happened at State House yesterday is exactly what I am saying.
CSOs went to lobby government for the latter to not only see but hopefully adopt their viewpoint.
It means government has decided to listen. However, when all is said and done, the ultimate authority to pass public policy and legislation lies in the hands of the voter expressed through the body called government that holds his or her mandate.
In other words, legally and politically, government is the expression of the will of the people.
No matter how objectionable this sounds, the position Hichilema and his cabinet will take to parliament is the expression of the will of the Zambian people.
Opposition parties know this too well hence their continued engagement with the voter.
To be voted into political office, not to form an NGO, is how you get the real authority to pass laws and formulate public policy.
So, to CSOs, humbly accept the outcome of your engagement with government.
Don’t antagonise them. These politicians guard their mandate jealously and will defend it with every ounce of their being.
Remember, they went into the “trenches” to dig for votes, not an easy undertaking.
They are not about to share their position with someone without a similar background.