A consortium of NGOs agitating for the early adoption of the new Constitution in Zambia before the country’s elections next year has resorted to the collection of signatures countrywide as another way of putting pressure on government over the early adoption of a new Constitution. The Coalition 2005 says the petition will be handed over to government. (27-JAN-05)

This article is written by HRH’s Zambia correspondent Benedict Tembo. It has been slightly edited prior to publication here.

It was at a press conference on Tuesday in the capital Lusaka that Coalition 2005 announced its intention to collect signatures and hand them over to government.

Commitment to non-violence
NGOCC member Tafira Lubinda who read a speech on behalf of the Coalition reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful means of persuading government to ensure that the Constitution was ready before the next Presidential and General elections. Ms Lubinda said it was apparent that government has had no sense of time for this exercise and that even the May 2008 date was just another shot in the dark and without any basis. Ms Lubinda accused President Mwanawasa and his Cabinet of proving to be unpredictable and inconsistent on the matter of the Constitution and that it was difficult to believe that they were approaching this matter with the seriousness it deserved. The Coalition has since warned Zambians who believed that President Mwanawasa would grant them a legacy in the form of a good Constitution by 2008 that the Constitution was the people?s legacy and that they should not depend on the generosity of a person.

-No clear plan
“We should not as a country depend on strong and generous leaders, instead, we should depend on strong institutions and systems.” She said from the contradictory statements the government had been making, it was evident that the people of Zambia were dealing with a government that had no clear plan on what to do with the Constitution review. Ms Lubinda said government has had excuses such as huge costs of the Constituent Assembly, the legal impediments and now the time factor. She also cautioned that merely amending parts of the Constitution would not solve the problems that the country faced in terms of political and economic governance.

-Get serious, Mr President, do not take us for granted
Heritage Party Member Dante Saunders called upon the Coalition to come up with a plan of action other than just honking and holding demonstrations. And Citizens Forum chairperson Gilbert Temba said the Coalition would soon announce an intensive programme that would commence shortly. And Women for Change (WFC) executive director Emily Sikazwe announced that the Coalition had a copy of the draft CRC submissions from all the provinces and encouraged members of the public to make copies. She called upon government to be serious and not take Zambians for granted.