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The Oasis Forum has announced that it will not participate in making submissions to the Technical Committee appointed by government to legitimise Bill 7, describing the process as non-inclusive and politically motivated.
The Forum has also re-launched the Coalition Against Bill 7 to highlight what it calls the dangers of the current “election-centered” constitutional reform process, and plans to petition the Constitutional Court to declare it null and void.
Oasis Forum Chairperson and Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) President, Lungisani Zulu, told journalists during a media briefing at the Non-Governmental Gender Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) headquarters in Lusaka on Monday that the Forum would not participate in a process that undermined constitutional integrity.
“Participating in the alleged rigid process, which is a sham and contemptuous, only serves to sanitise a process whose result would not be inclusive, not holistic and would not serve the interests of citizens,” Zulu said.
He added that the Forum would formally write an open letter to President Hakainde Hichilema, urging him to provide leadership and halt the ongoing process.
“We shall write to each and every Member of Parliament to remind them of their constitutional duty to protect national interest and public will, and urge them not to support any amendment that undermines constitutional principles,” he stated.
Zulu also announced the relaunch of the Black Friday Campaign, a nationwide initiative encouraging citizens to wear black ribbons and place black car disks as a symbol of mourning for constitutional integrity.
“Every Friday, we shall undertake a ‘Honking Campaign’ from 15 hours to 17 hours countrywide to protest the unwarranted interference with the supreme law of our land,” he said.
Zulu further called on civil society organisations, traditional leaders, faith-based groups, and all well-meaning citizens to join the crusade against Bill 7.
“In an effort to build momentum against the current reform process by the UPND government, the Oasis Forum is today re-launching the Coalition Against Bill 7, which it initially launched on June 16, 2015, as a crusade to highlight the dangers and oppose the current narrow, non-inclusive, and election-centered reform process being undertaken by government,” he said.
He reaffirmed the Forum’s unwavering commitment to the promotion of constitutionalism, the rule of law, and good governance, which he described as essential for Zambia’s democratic advancement and the welfare of its citizens.
The Oasis Forum comprises the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), and the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB).
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