Zambian Constitution making..... "another wet-dream"

I have always been pessimistic about my country’s desire to write a constitution that will stand the test of time under the current circumstances and government’s response to a fresh proposal by the Technical Committee Drafting the Zambian Constitution-TCDZC-to have a six months extension to the constitution making process. The negative response apparently amplifies my reservations. I am forcefully drawn into sharing thoughts on the recent revelations by Justice Minister, Wynter Kabimba of the correspondence between his office and the team mandated to ensure that a constitution that meets our aspirations, as Zambians, and not politicians who have always hijacked the process is delivered with ease. Firstly, there should be a realisation that current politicians should detach themselves from the process because it is not meant to serve their interests but prospective generations. Thus, the need to let the committee conclude its work, rather than looking at the cost of the exercise, could have been the best way to go. Who told the current Government that democracy is Cheap? Why has Honourable Kabimba remained defiant to the civil society organisations about the need to have a legal framework to protect both content and the process? Ironically, President, Michael Sata has time & again reaffirmed his commitment that under the Patriotic Front government, Zambia will not borrow or import a constitution from any other country but will formulate its own people driven supreme law of the land. Additionally, the President has constantly noted at several forums that world over, the constitution making process was an art in compromise and consensus building which calls on citizens to give prominence to national interest as opposed to serving narrow partisan interest, which the justice minister seems to have adopted by his refusal to grant the committee the requested 44 million kwacha-rebased for the proper completion of the process. It is not true that we (Zambians) want a constitution now not even tomorrow but that we want a quality document to address the many challenges that we are faced with as a country. It is therefore my conviction that the current leadership deserves some lecturing on the prospects of a good constitution. Accordingly, we need, as a country to embrace the proposal by the technical committee to conclude the process. It is further absurd to demean eminent individuals like Justice Annel Silungwe, who currently chairs the committee that it has been turned into a commercial franchise without listening to their proposal. I think we should be sober when discussing issues relating to the constitution and not trivialize it as beer talk. Those opposed should stop thinking that those advocating for the extension are unpatriotic. It is disheartening that Zambia has no respect for technocrats that continue to serve the country with diligence and utmost commitment such as those that currently constituting the technical committee due to their investment in time & energy in crafting this document. Mr Kabimba could have been well advised to engage the committee and understand its reasoning for an extension to conclude its work than paint the committee as a bunch of individuals solely interested to amass the country's resources. His outburst puts the whole process in reverse gear as it seems will be concluded just because Kabimba wishes to see the work concluded whether it meets the aspirations or not. This also shows Government's bulldozing tendencies which may constitute the remaining process to the final enactment of the constitution. This also brings to the fore fears many people had at the beginning of the process that it should not be left to the good will of politicians, however those who voiced out then were labelled all manner of names. Surprisingly, in the run-up to the September 20 General elections, then leader of the Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) repeatedly mentioned among other things that his party would deliver a people driven Constitution within ninety days of being elected into government, which however stands as one of the many failures of this government with its now infamous 90 days rhetoric. Undoubtedly, the call by the Justice Minister that the committee should conclude its program of work by June 30, as earlier indicated might just be among the many wet dreams of the ruling party to deny Zambians a well thought constitution. Whoever has told these politicians that we don’t have money to finance the completion & extension of the constitution making is a joker in the wake of unprecedented by-elections & bloated government, the biggest on the African continent. One would not be far from the truth to conclude that Zambians have gone through the same failed route when it comes to the constitution making process. As things stand the PF government has shown little if no commitment at all to start the process through the establishment of a referendum commission to prepare for the holding of a referendum, which will inadvertently be even expensive going by Kabimba's argument. Its' my opinion

“A Cry in the wilderness”-Zambian Media bodies Kaya?

“Crying in the wilderness”, is a title that best describes Kennedy Phiri’s recent writings on his social network page, Facebook, following his recent beatings at the hands of state sponsored thugs in Lusaka’s Matero constituency: Kennedy Wrote, “Attacks on journalists must be condemned every time they appear whether the affected are from MUVI, ZNBC, Daily Mail, Times of Zambia, MOBI, TBN or indeed the Daily Nation. Eleven days ago, I and Francesca Banda were attacked and none of the so called media bodies raised even a finger not even the so called MISA. Eleven days later other journalists are attacked by the same group, then it’s all hell break loose, we hear the so called media bodies exhibit double standards, a wrong is a wrong. It’s my opinion”. Kennedy’s outburst comes in the wake of an attack, in which he was severely beaten with fists, stones and sticks by about twenty people suspected to be members of the ruling Patriotic Front(PF). They met their fate as they were pursuing a story involving the governing party cadres’ alleged grabbing of land in the capital from an old defenceless man. Ironically, the attack on the Journalists received no attention from the existing media bodies. Not even a statement to condemn what transpired. However, eleven days later, another set of Journalists are attacked and well punctuated statements from the respective media bodies floods almost all newsrooms in the country. Well, what conclusion could a Journalist in Kennedy’s entourage make about such a development? Kennedy’s opinion is a clear call for media bodies to be proactive and not reactive/selective in the pursuant of a free media in Zambia. Additionally, the media bodies should inspire defenceless Journalists with the provision of legal representation in the courts of law once such matters are taken to there instead of just talking and letting reporters pursue such cases using their own resources. Time and again, some courageous people have criticized the armchair style of leadership prevailing in most of our media bodies. They seem to be pre-occupied with making empty statements without providing a clear roadmap on how the media fraternity should engage the stakeholders in ending the incessant attacks on Journalists. As the case was with their disposed colleagues, the MMD, the Patriotic Front (PF) Members seem to be falling prey to land grabbing. And in defence of such barbaric practices, they allegedly find pleasure in inflicting pain on the people working to expose their undemocratic acts. While Journalists will remain an endangered species world-over, the manner in which they are protected by those claiming to stand for their rights should be more in reality than in theory. The culture of selective representation is, to say, the least, demeaning on the part of the affected Journalists and their respective media houses.

South African National Press Club-an oasis of opportunities

My appreciation is to the National Press Club of South Africa for the opportunity to have attended a one-day-international media conference last Thursday focusing on the realization of free media reporting during elections. The pre-conference atmosphere initially presented several lessons to our existing media clubs across the African continent with Zambia inclusive. Unlike what I gathered in my brief stay in Pretoria, the operations of these local clubs have been brief-case driven, no fixed-bode and uninspiring to the media fraternity in the country. The Press Club of South Africa has a well-established gallery, in which some of its activities have been well documented, as a mode of transfer of knowledge to future generations, facilitates student interest in the media industry through career assistance and professional networking, as was the case with my invitation. The National Press Club is a representation of over 500 members, consisting of more than 50 percent journalists (full members) and communications practitioners (associate members) working in the media environment. Founded as the Pretoria Press Club in 1975,the club was able to bring prominent journalists from ten-African countries to share professional insights and experiences in the aftermath of the Kenyan and fourth-coming Zimbabwean general elections following a successful referendum in that country. One initiative that was of greater importance was “newsmaker of the year,” in which the club awards individuals and institutions for the prominence in the news annually. Guess who some of the winners are? Previous honours include to the anti-apartheid hero, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and the South African Air Force among other outstanding individuals and individuals, as a reward for excellence. The club has seemingly embraced the “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” proverb through the establishment of a bar, as a means of killing off boredom. Suffice to say, Zambian media clubs have really failed to ensure the consistency, legitimacy and lack of vision, as affiliation to these establishments are of hand-to-mouth benefits and public relation platforms in return with freebies prominently being airtime and sugar.

Elusive Zambian constitution: Where are we?

Zambians are now closer than ever before to the realization of the constitution that will stand the test of time under the leadership of Michael Sata, as one of his electoral pledges in the run-up the September 20th elections delivery of a document that does not only inspire the general citizenry but also meet their aspirations. As delegates converge for the sector groups’ convention at Lusaka’s Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Zambians are more certain that the elusive constitution will soon be a reality. The sector groups’ convention is a gathering of professionals and experts invited to discuss and analyse the different articles in the first draft constitution (FDC). The avenue provides a platform for stakeholders to offer their expertise on the proposals. A total of ten sector groups have been proposed and these include the general principles (including consideration of citizenship and general amendment provision), Human Rights (Civil and Political Rights), Human Rights (Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), Representation of the people, Government structures and functions (including separation of powers among three arms of the Government), Public Finance and Accountability, Public Service, Defence and National Security, Devolved Governance and Traditional leadership, Land, Environment and Natural Resources and Constitutional Offices and Commissions. It is however, hoped that the process will not be dominated by sympathizers of the ruling party and does not steal away its core responsibility to facilitate consensus among stakeholders in addressing the political, social, economic and cultural interests of our people, I mean it should be inclusive in its composition.

Zambian democracy breeds political jokers

The number of political parties continues increasing in the country, as everybody is beginning to feel that they are presidential material, the price that my beloved country is paying for choosing democracy, as its system of governance. Ironically, she has been producing more useless, hopeless and talkative politicians allegedly with presidential ambitious than the required technocrats to service the country’s wheels of development. Truly, Zambia deserves better than the counterfeit leadership in the name of upholding values of democracy without risking our beliefs in the philosophy of governing ourselves. I must confess that our political landscape is filthy and optimistic that history does not repeat itself in seeing our democracy breeding political jokers like those of the yester-years such as Chama Chakomboka. Maybe, the emergency of newest political parties: republican progressive party under the headship of comrade James Lukuku and that of Mike Mulongoti dubbed people’s party is seemingly the resurrection of Chakomboka. It’s clear that democracy in our description, as a people is elusive.

Could it be fruits of democracy-as parliamentarian tears down presidential speech?

Just wondering was President Sata's speech to Parliament so bad that Mwandi MP Micheal Kaingu the President's name sake had no choice but throw away Parliamentary etiquette and speak out his mind on how he felt about the President's second address to parliament. All eyes are now on speaker Dr Matibini to decide on the way forward.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal arrives in Zambia

Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Anne from the United Kingdom has arrived in Lusaka for a five-day official visit to Zambia. The visit from 24 – 28 September 2012 is part of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Princess Anne, who arrived aboard the British Airways flight this morning, was met on arrival at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport by the Vice President of Zambia Dr Guy Scott and his wife, Charlotte, British High Commissioner to Zambia, James Thornton, Government Ministers and other senior government officials. Her Royal Highness is expected to pay a courtesy call on the Acting President today and visit Fountain of Hope, a charity set up in 1996 by a group of young Zambians to address the plight of vulnerable children. British High Commissioner James Thornton said: “I am delighted that Princess Anne has arrived in Zambia. The visit highlights the deep roots Zambia and the United Kingdom share as well as the lively modern relationship between our countries.” To celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne, The Princess Royal will attend a church service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross with members of the government, diplomatic corps, Commonwealth heads of missions, British community in Zambia and others. This service will be open to all who wish to attend. The Princess Royal will also attend a dinner hosted by the Government of Zambia and a Garden Party given by the British High Commissioner. During her stay in Zambia, The Princess Royal will also have the opportunity to visit various organisations and witness the work of a number of charities and volunteers from the UK and elsewhere on projects across Zambia. In Lusaka, these include Fountain of Hope, Kasisi Children’s Home, Safe Spaces in Matero, Olympic Youth Development Centre, Commonwealth Youth Development Centre and British Council. In Livingstone, she will visit Mukuni Village, Butterfly Tree, Book Bus Foundation, Livingstone Museum, Riders for Health and attend the 25th Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth Conference The royal program will also include a courtesy call on the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia and address Parliament. She will also lay wreaths at the War Memorial at the Victoria Falls in Livingstone to commemorate volunteers whose lives were lost in two world wars. To celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne, The Princess Royal will attend a church service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross with members of the government, diplomatic corps, Commonwealth heads of missions, British community in Zambia and members of the public and a Garden Party at the British High Commissioner’s Residence. Her stay in Zambia will also include opportunity to visit various organisations and witness the work of charities and volunteers from the UK and elsewhere on projects across Zambia. In Lusaka, HRH will visit Fountain of Hope, Kasisi Children’s Home, Safe Spaces in Matero, Olympic Youth Development Centre, Commonwealth Youth Development Centre and British Council. In Livingstone, she will visit Mukuni Village, Butterfly Tree, Book Bus Foundation, Livingstone Museum, Riders for Health and attend the 25th Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth Conference. Ends Notes for Editors 1. Princess Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of her birth, she was third (behind her mother and elder brother) and rose to second (after her mother’s accession) in the line of succession to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms; however, after the birth of two younger brothers and six nieces and nephews she is currently tenth in line. The seventh holder of the title Princess Royal, Anne is known for her charitable work, being the patron of over 200 organisations, and she carries out about 700 royal engagements and public appearances per year. She is also known for equestrian talents; she won two silver and one gold medal at the European Eventing Championships, and is the only member of the British Royal Family to have competed in the Olympic Games. Currently married to Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, she has two children from her previous marriage to Mark Phillips and one granddaughter. Further information can be found on the Royal family website: www.royal.gov.uk/ 2. The Queen has been Head of the Commonwealth since 1952, with 2012 marking the 60th anniversary of this role (Diamond Jubilee). Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2 June 1953. Further information can be found on the official website of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee: www.thediamondjubilee.org/ 3. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended the Commonwealth Conference in Lusaka from 27 July - 4 August 1979 4. The Duke of Gloucester visited Zambia from 3-7 May 2007 5. Fountain of Hope is a local Charity based in Lusaka. It was set up in 1996 by a group of young Zambians. Their vision is to enable children to enjoy their rights and become responsible citizens. The children are mostly AIDS orphans from poverty stricken families. Volunteers come from far and wide to help at Fountain of Hope including various British Universities. Further information can be found on the Fountain of Hope website: www.fountainofhope.org.uk/ 6. The Commonwealth Youth Centre is one of four within the Commonwealth, established to serve a region. The centre responds to youth development for 21 countries of the Commonwealth including Cyprus, Malta and the UK and, aims to bring together young people from within these countries to further encourage peace and harmony among nations through friendship and learning. Further information can be found on the Commonwealth Youth Programme website: www.thecommonwealth.org 7. Kasisi Children’s Home was founded in 1926 by the Dominican Sisters. Two years later it was handed over to the Little Servants of Mary Immaculate, a Polish Catholic order. In 2002 the name was changed to Kasisi Children’s Home. Children are brought in from all the provinces of Zambia or are sometimes referred by the Social Welfare Society, police victim support unit, refugee centres, hospitals and from the communities. The home provides the children with basic needs, spiritual care, love and protection, and ensures that these children will be self-supporting once they reach adulthood. All the children of school age go to school and after secondary school Kasisi supports them in further education or in finding a job. Further information can be found on the Kasisi Children’s Home website: www.kasisichildren.org/ 8. The Olympic Youth Development Centre is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) and the Government of the Republic of Zambia in their aim to create a multi-purpose sports facility. The Centre is owned by the NOCZ with the support of the Government of Zambia, the IOC, National federations and sponsors. The goal of the OYDC is to provide young people and communities with opportunities to practice sport and be educated in the values of Olympics through a pilot project, Sports for Hope. The OYDC encourages the use of the facilities by other charities, organisations or local community group. One such charity is The TAG Rugby Trust (TRT). Further information can be found on the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) website: www.oydc.org.zm 9. The Book Bus is a British registered charity which operates a mobile library and literacy project for Community schools in Zambia. The project is self sustaining and funded by volunteers who join the project for a number of weeks. It enables the children to have hands on experience, reading and working with the books, as well as, the arts and craft materials the Bus is stocked with. It aims to encourage children to read, to instil a love of reading and to show them that books can be fun and informative. Further information can be found on the Book Bus website: www.thebookbus.org/ 10. Riders for Health (Riders) is an international, not – for-profit Non-Government Organisation (NGO) working to improve the capacity and efficiency of health care delivery platforms in Africa. Their mission is to strengthen health systems by addressing one of the most neglected, yet vital, aspects of development for the health of Africa, which are transport and logistics. Riders’ ability to maintain vehicles to an extremely high standard gives health workers frequent and consistent access to rural communities, many of which are not otherwise reached by the health care system. Riders for Health in Zambia began operations in 2009 with a staffing complement of 15. Further information can be found on the Riders for Health website: www.riders.org/ 11. The Butterfly Tree is a UK charity and NGO situated in Mukuni village in Livingstone. It was founded in 2006 by Mrs Jane Kaye-Bailey to support rural communities decimated by the HIV pandemic in Zambia and has over thirty projects currently running in the Kasungula District of Southern Province, Zambia. The charity provides funds to construct bore holes, improve health and education facilities and an orphan sponsorship programme. Further information can be found on the Butterfly Tree website: www.thebutterflytree.org.uk/ 12. The Safe Places programme was established in response to a landmark court case that mandated Zambia's Ministry of Education to ensure that schools provide a safe environment for girls. The Population Council is working with partners to develop and evaluate a school-based Programme for adolescent girls in Lusaka. The ‘safe spaces Programme consists of weekly group meetings in schools where girls learn about and discuss sexual and gender-based violence, rights and responsibilities, HIV and sexual and reproductive health, financial education, and life skills. The Programme has so far reached over 600 girls and trained over 60 female mentors. DFID Zambia has been supporting an Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme since November 2012. This Programme will empower 10,000 vulnerable adolescent girls using ‘safe spaces’ as its core model in which girls will build their social assets. Further information can be found on the DFID website: www.dfid.gov.uk/ 13. The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. Globally its cultural relations work focuses on three sectors – English, Education and Society, and Arts. In Zambia it works in education and English with a programme of more than 250 bilateral school partnerships. These support professional development for head teachers and teachers and use joint curriculum projects to develop a global dimension within schools as well as improve ICT and English teaching and learning. It works with the public and private sectors to encourage closer links between education, employers and policy makers to improve young people’s employability. It is building on its Olympics legacy programme, developing a cadre of young sports leaders and promoting improved delivery of physical education in schools. The British Council delivers a range of UK school, university and professional qualifications, enhancing employability and career prospects, with around 15,000 candidates sitting 45,000 exams each year. Further information can be found on the British Council website: www.britishcouncil.org/africa 14. The Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) is a confederation of over 51 leading national and regional Agricultural Show Societies, working in 20 Commonwealth countries. Founded in 1957 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT, and 12 international Agricultural Societies at the Royal Norfolk Show, the initial aim was to promote the work of Agricultural Show Societies by providing a network/forum for discussion of latest ideas and experiences. RASC will hold the 25th biennial conference under the theme ‘‘Africa’s Role in Sustainable World Food Production’’ from 24-27 September 2012 in Livingstone, Zambia. HRH Princess Anne is the current President of RASC. Further information can be found on the RASC website: http://www.rasczambia.org/index.html