DEAR EDITOR,
WRITE with shock that there are certain sections of society that are mourning the failure of Bill 10 while others are celebrating its failure. Why are they lamenting the failure? Engage us the people.
The failure of Bill 10 if indeed it was a good Bill should not have received such mixed feelings from politicians, especially at the expense of us the masters.
Stop misleading the nation that the failure of this Bill will work against the disabled and women as if that is where these people are discriminated against over equal representation as alluded to, in the current constitution.
For me, this is now the time you mourning the demise of this Bill 10 got copies of the failed Bill and got to people and sensitise them on each and every clause, not just a few clauses and see people’s reactions over it.
I am disappointed that deep down some people know that the Bill 10 in its current form has a lot to do with politicians than us the general citizen, yet want to play games over it.
For instance, if Bill 10 had gone through, mayors and council chairpersons could have been elected from the council. What was meant to be achieved by this reversal just five years down the line apart from the wrangles between MPs and the Mayors?
I therefore think we can start the process in a more transparent manner and can make progress by redrafting it and taking it to parliament after the general elections if indeed it’s for the nation. We don’t change the Constitution hurriedly.
The deafening noise attached to this Bill 10, against other Bills in parliament was very shocking and that made people to start sniffing through the whole Bill to know what was hidden under the good clauses.
Clauses such as the one to do with delimitation for instance should not have been included in this Bill 10 but could have been a stand alone that could definitely not have been thrown out because of other bad clauses in the Bill. Late President Michael Sata did delimitation without this noise.
It is unfortunate that colossal sums of money was spent in making sure this Bill passes without taking us the majority people who needed to have hundred percent knowledge of each and every clause in Bill 10, than just singing three clauses at every convenience.
This should be taken as a lesson where issues relating to Constitution need the support of everybody and that is only and when there is a full consensus.
WISDOM MUYUNDA,
Chingola.
