Speed up constitutional amendments, Lubinda urged

Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:32:07 +0000

By AARON CHIYANZO

THE Ministry of Justice should speed up constitutional amendments and bring to parliament all progressive recommendations submitted by stakeholders to address deficiencies in the constitution, says former UPND deputy spokesperson Edwin Lifwekelo.

Mr Lifwekelo urged Justice Minister Given Lubinda to ensure that constitutional amendments are done without delay.

“We want to urge Justice Minister, Given Lubinda to expeditiously bring to Parliament all progressive constitutional recommendations that have been submitted by stakeholders that seek to address all deficiencies in the republican constitution,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Lifwekelo said that the private member’s motion that seeks to limit the number of times a presidential candidate could contest a general election was progressive and that all Members of Parliament should support it.

He pleaded with parliamentarians to participate and make the right decision with regards to the private member’s bill for the sake of posterity.

Mr Lifwekelo said that the Bill would stop emerging dictators that were hindering intra- party democracy in political parties.

He explained that the private member’s bill to limit the number of times a presidential candidate could contest a general election was not targeted at a particular individual as it would affect many.

Mr Lifwekelo has also advised UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to stop misleading the nation that PF lacked leadership when his party was filled with recycled politicians. He questioned what political value Mr Hichilema held in Zambia other than ascending to the position of party president because some individuals wanted a Tonga to take over the UPND after the death of its founder, Mr Anderson Mazoka.

Mr Lifwekelo reiterated that Mr Hichilema was not the first economist in Zambia and that neither was he the messiah of Zambia to be self-praising.

“It is not President Edgar Lungu’s fault or the PF that has allowed the UPND to be in that position for the last 20 years” Mr Lifwekelo