2015-05-12 09:28:00

FDD leader gives democracy lecture to Zambian seminarians


President of the Forum for Democracy & Development (FDD), an opposition party in Zambia, has delivered a lecture on democracy to seminarians at Mpima Major Seminary.

FDD president Edith Nawakwi says the constitution needs to be enacted by a referendum because people do not trust the PF government.  The opposition leader also noted that Zambians have no confidence that Parliament, in its current composition, can protect the contents of the final draft constitution. Speaking when she gave a lecture on democracy in Zambia at Mpima Major Seminary in Kabwe on Friday, Nawakwi said the only way the country could have a document that citizens would have confidence in was by ensuring that they are given an opportunity to have a say through a referendum.

“There is no trust between the government and the people. Therefore, people cannot trust the government to enact a constitution that epitomises their aspirations,” she observed. “It is us the politicians who have caused this mistrust because politics have become a way of survival. Like my elder brother, former Provincial Minister for southern province, Daniel Munkombwe said, ‘it is politics of the stomach’ and people don’t believe in politicians anymore.”

Nawakwi added that people’s wishes were not being represented by their elected leaders because most members of parliament were in the House to eat. “The government says it wants to take the constitution to Parliament because those in government know that once the document goes to Parliament, they will get to have their way. People’s wishes are not being represented by their representatives because many MPs are there to eat,” she said.  

“Today they are voted for as the opposition to provide checks and balances to the government [but] tomorrow, they are appointed as ministers, abandoning their parties. So the only way to have a constitution that everyone will believe in is by having a referendum,” Nawakwi said.

Meanwhile, Nawakwi charged that corruption would continue being endemic as long as the excessive powers of the President were not curtailed. She explained that the only reason there was too much corruption in Zambia was because power had been given to few individuals who were using it to enrich themselves. Nawakwi suggested that the only way to successfully fight corruption in the country was by enacting a constitution that would spell out what those in power could and could not do. “In this country, there is no law that stops me from taking the entire Namwanga kingdom to State House once I’m voted as president of this country. That is why we are always complaining of nepotism in government. It all goes back to the constitution,” she stressed.

Asked by seminarians what she would prioritise when voted into office, Nawakwi said: “If I can decentralise the governance system of this country, then I would say I have achieved my goal of helping my country move forward because then, I would have set a foundation for development,” she said.

(By Chambwa Moonga, The Post Newspaper)

e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va

 








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