By Laura Miti
THERE IS ONE CLAUSE WHICH IS EQUAL TO THE WHOLE BILL10
I have just finished reading Minister Kasune’s statement to Parliament, on the proposed constitutional amendments.
Ehh, people!
I found the reason government is amending the constitution. No, it’s not women, youth or delimitation – never did think it was, but hey.
It’s one change, hiding innocuously in the fufu veve. The Queen bee, in a busy hive full of worker bees. All there to keep her safe.
It’s Number 7, in the statement.
Increase in the Number of Nominated Members
It reads:
The Constitution under Article 68(2) B) provides that there shall be not more than 8 nominated Members of Parliament.
Here is the Queen Bee:
It is proposed that Article 68(2) (B) be amended so as to increase the number – now the poison – TO A NUMBER THAT WOULD BE PROVIDED BY AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT.
Hau, President Hichilema!
I will grant this to you. Your team is cleverer than PF, who went overboard with mad clauses, until even a blind man could see them.
You have gone with just one killer one, that you hope people will not see. Of course you have added a few iffy proposals, to keep people distracted from the one clause that is equal to the whole Bill 10.
Look Zambians, if just this amendment passes, the President and the ruling party are untouchable. You see, exactly like Bill 10 tried to, the UPND is trying to give itself a limitless number of MPs that can be increased at any time, by a simple majority vote.
So, it would not matter if, in the next election, the ruling party loses lots of seats. All it needs is a small majority. Then, it can, by an Act of Parliament, provide for the President to nominate enough MPs to give him 2/3 majority. After that, it’s curtains. The Constitution is theirs.
They can amend, at leisure, the real clauses they want to.
Hau, Hau, Hau♀️!
President Hichilema, this is beyond wrong. It’s dictatorial. It’s against the idea of a constitution which fully creates all important institutions. Remember how we kept saying under Bill 10, that Parliament cannot be allowed to create itself. What has changed??
No! Stop yourself, Sir!
©️ Laura Miti