Mweetwa asks Zambians to hold opposition responsible on alleged plans to amend Constitution

Chief Government Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, has said that there were no Constitutional amendments being undertaken by the United Party for National Development (UPND) administration.

Mweetwa clarified that Petauke Independent Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Jay Banda, was the one who had moved a motion in Parliament urging the Executive to effectuate Constitutional amendments.

He said Banda wants the Executive to effectuate Constitutional amendments in non contentious matters such as Members of Parliament going back to sitting in Council meetings in order for them to be part and parcel of Council activities.

“For instance, to do with land alienation, to do with the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) decisions as to where such money’s are going to be applied, this comes in the wake of the expanded CDF,” Mweetwa stated.

The Minister of Information and Media, disclosed on Monday at a media briefing, that Banda had gone ahead to write to the Clerk of the National Assembly on a motion asking the Executive to effect a change in the Constitution.

He noted that the motion had not been tabled in Parliament for debate because Banda was still serving his suspension from the house.

“It is them through Jay Jay Banda that wants the Executive to effect the Constitutional amendments on non contentious issues such as delimitation of vast Constituencies, disbanding the Emoluments Commission among others,” Mweetwa stated.

He added that the Executive had made it clear that there was no money to carry out national wide consultations on Constitutional amendments because the priority lies in addressing economic recovery and challenges dealing with debt restructuring.

Mweetwa emphasized that it was the opposition which was encouraging the Executive to effectuate the Constitutional amendments and not government.

“The Clerk of the National Assembly has since written to Members of Parliament requesting them to understand the position of their party so that when the process starts, there is no confusion,” he said.

The lawmaker, however, noted that some changes like disbanding the Emoluments Commission would affect the operations of Parliament where traditionally Members of Parliament determine their conditions of service and other Emoluments.

Mweetwa wondered why some opposition leaders were eager to denounce and discredited government over their own decision through Banda.

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