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Democratic Union (DU) President, Ackim Njobvu, has expressed concern over the constitutional reforms being championed by President Hakainde Hichilema’s government, describing the move as manipulative.
ZCID on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on the DU leadership at the party secretariat as part of its ongoing engagements with political party presidents.
In his submission to ZCID, Njobvu said it was unfortunate that the ruling UPND had chosen to focus on amending the Constitution instead of addressing the pressing challenges affecting Zambians.
He said the technical committee tasked to conduct consultations on the controversial Bill No. 7 lacked inclusivity.
“I would have loved to see the representation of the Law Association of Zambia, church mother bodies, and maybe a representative from both the ruling and opposition on the technical committee,” he said.
Njobvu described the constitutional amendment efforts as an academic exercise introduced at the wrong time.
“And we cannot always be talking about amending the Constitution in the interest of a few individuals instead of addressing real issues affecting the majority.
Currently, we have load shedding that needs to be addressed, but one wonders why focus on amending the Constitution? We also have voter registration taking place — this is where we need to channel our energies because these are urgent matters,” he said.
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Meanwhile, ZCID Board Chairperson, Ambassador Joyce Musenge, commended Njobvu and his team for their contributions to good governance and their detailed submissions on constitutional reform.
Musenge emphasized that such engagements were vital for comparing notes on issues affecting political parties and the nation.
She revealed that ZCID had so far met with 14 political party presidents.
“As ZCID, we must emphasize the importance of interparty dialogue to strengthen our country’s democratic dispensation,” she said.
The meeting was also attended by leaders from other political parties, including the New Congress Party, the Party for National Unity and Progress (PNUP), and DU Secretary General, Kaunda Phiri.
ZCID described the meeting as highly engaging and commended the DU for its active participation and submissions.
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