WE DON’T HAVE A CONSTITUTION CRISIS
….what the people want is the UPND to address the high cost of living, says SP Youths
Lusaka… Saturday March 15, 2025
Socialist Party (SP) youths have categorically stated that the country is not in a constitution crisis hence the need not to proceed with constitution amendments.
SP Youth Vice Secretary Richard Bravo Mulenga says what the people of Zambia want at the moment is for the UPND to reduce the high cost of living in the country, the high cost of doing business, reduce the fuel prices among other pressing challenges.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka today, Mr Mulenga emphasized that the SP youths are not part of the Constitution amendment process.
He said in as much as the current constitution is not perfect, there is no urgency of changing it’s provisions.
“Number one, we have not agreed with President Hakainde Hichilema to amend the Constitution due to various reasons. President Hichilema is riding on a lie that the main reason we have to amend the Constitution is because he wants us to include women, youths and people living with disabilities. The current constitution gives the President powers to appoint or nominate eight Members of Parliament and at the moment, we don’t have a MP who is a youth appointed by the President. Among all the nominated MPs, there is only one woman,” he said.
He highlighted that under Article 259 (1), the President is empowered to appoint or nominate Members of Parliament and that he should utilize that provision to appoint women, young people and people living with disabilities.
Mr Mulenga further said the Head of State can as well appoint youths, women and people living with disabilities as head of departments.
Speaking at the same briefing, SP National Youth Deputy Spokesperson Sconel Lusambo castigated the UPND administration for segregating other youths from participating at yesterday’s Youth Indaba which was held in Lusaka addressed by President Hichilema.
Mr Lusambo has likened the event to a ‘UPND Indaba’ saying only youths affiliated to the ruling party were invited to attend.
“As SP youths, we were not invited to attend the Youth Indaba. Our colleagues from Tonse Alliance attempted to attend, but they were blocked. We watched the videos on social media yesterday. So, only those affiliated to the UPND were invited and allowed to attend the Indaba,” he said.
Meanwhile, SP Deputy National Youth Chairperson Francis Chula reminded President Hichilema that while in opposition, he worked well with the youths.
Mr Chula wondered why the Head of State has abandoned the youths and decide to work with a handful of youths affiliated to the ruling party.
“We have churches, Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations and other groupings, have youth leadership. All these were not invited, but only UPND youths were invited to attend the Indaba. I call that Indaba as ‘Panganeni UPND Indaba’,” he said.
Mr Chula since urged the youths countrywide to work together and ensure that they remove the UPND from office in 2026 despite the President claiming that he has applied glue on that seat.