By PETER SICHALI
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has the prerogative to appoint and fire without being questioned, PF Legal Committee Member Makebi Zulu has said.
And Mr Zulu has challenged former Attorney General Musa Mwenye to go to court if he had reasonable ground to believe that the President abrogated the law during his recent appointments at permanent secretary level.
Mr Zulu was reacting to claims by Mr Mwenye that the recent appointment of six Permanent Secretaries by President Lungu was a breach of the constitution on claims that they were focused on two regions. “The President has prerogative to appoint whosoever he wishes to, therefore the point of view taken by Musa Mwenye that there is an abrogation of the constitution on the recent appointment of Permanent Secretaries is a desperate attempt to remain relevant,” Mr Zulu said.
Mr Zulu said it defies logic to claim the appointment of six Permanent Secretaries from two regions was in conflict with the constitution because imbalance cannot be judged based on six out of 40 Permanent Secretaries.
“We have over 40 Permanent Secretaries and it is not true that all of them are from two regions, all the President was doing was replacing those that have been moved,” Mr Zulu said.
Mr Zulu said it was unfortunate that Mr Mwenye was seeing everything from tribal lenses. “The President looks at competences of people and skills that they would bring and not the tribe or region one is coming from,” he said.
Mr Zulu said it was time people stopped looking at national matters with tribal lenses and concentrate on matters that would contribute to national development.
He said the constitution does not refer to tribes but refers to regional balancing.
Mr Zulu said Mr Mwenye as a legal mind swore to protect the constitution and should take the matter to court if he is convinced that the constitution has been abrogated.
“This is more of a political issue than a legal one. If at all this was a legal matter, I challenge him to go to court and challenge the appointment of the seven Permanent Secretaries but he will not go to court because he knows he is playing politics,” Mr Zulu said.
