What are we waiting for?
What are we waiting for?By Laura Miti-Banda
Saturday June 16, 2007 [04:00]
In reading back, this week, on articles on the constitution question that have appeared in this column, as well as those done by other people, it struck me that Levy made a decision long ago that he would never allow the people of Zambia to write a constitution for themselves like they were demanding.
Knowing that, he however allowed excessive amounts of time and money to be spent on the constitution review debate caring absolutely nothing about the wastefulness. This week, I have therefore decided to republish an article done over a year ago just to remind the nation of how Levy has played with us all like fools.
This is an excerpt from an article entitled “Epitaph” that appeared in this column in February 2006, after Mr Mwanawasa made an announcement that seemed to suggest that Zambians might after all get the constituent assembly they so desperately wanted:
When a couple of weeks ago, President Mwanawasa announced that the Mung’omba reviewed constitution will be adopted by a constituent assembly I felt a sense of deep anger.
My first response to Mwanawasa’s statement was to think: of the overall amount of money that has been used by both government and civil society over the question of the adoption of the reviewed Republican Constitution were to be tallied, I wonder how much it would come to. Did it have to be spent as it was?
You see Mwanawasa’s Presidency, will not be remembered for long but when it is, it will be for its scandalous wastefulness. President Mwanawasa must have known for a long time that, sooner or later, he was bound to give in to the popular demand for a constituent assembly.
He, in fact, begun by saying all he needed was a confirmation from the people via the Mung’omba Commission that they wanted one and he would give it to them. Then he began to play games. “It’s not possible because of financial cost , he said, then it was, “its not possible because of legal impediments;” and even “ it’s not possible because I do not want it.”
As he danced his merry jig around the issue, money this country can ill afford was being spent by civil society to gather the people’s voice and by Mwanawasa to counter it. The cost in time, labour and money has to be in the billions.
And this is a cost that did not begin with the final battle over the constituent assembly. President Mwanawasa begun his presidency by refusing to review the constitution at all or is it trying to ignore the matter. The Oasis Forum and wider civil society had to spend lots of money to meet him at State House and garner public pressure for a review before he finally gave in.
When he did, Levy, characteristically, set up the Constitution Review Commission in such a way that millions more would be spent by civil society in provincial forums to talk about the inquiries Act and why it was the wrong instrument to once again set up the CRC under. More money was to be spent in fights over the appointment process of commissioners.
At each point, Levy had a choice to make. Take the easier, saner, less expensive road to serve the good of all or watch unconcerned as billions were poured down the drain over a battle that did not need to be fought. We shall not go into what those billions could have been used for either in the constitution review process itself or else in service provision.
Now, one would expect that after all that he has put this nation through, Levy would by now have realised his folly, and be deeply remorseful for the senseless waste of resources he has caused this nation to suffer over its constitution. But heck no!
Just look at the statement he made:
‘There will be a constituent assembly since you want it. I really do not want it. So you will get it against my will. It will happen if money is found by government and whosoever will. It will happen if Parliament passes the law to cause it to take place but that depends on whether Parliament wants to or not.’
And so, once again, Levy makes a statement that means nothing.
Until Parliament has passed the law to facilitate the creation of the constituent assembly, nothing is certain. It is for that reason that Levy left that avenue open. The object of the statement was to announce that he is going to have the next election under the current constitution and maybe there will be a constituent assembly.
What he intended, I think, was to trick the people into relaxing their militant stance over their basic document. Levy is not entirely dull. He knew that any announcement that sounded as though he had given in on the CA would, for a moment anyway, and hopefully long enough, cause Zambians to celebrate a victory that had not happened.
There was nothing binding in his statement just as there was nothing binding in his saying I will give you a CA if you tell Mung’omba you want it.
So once again the people of Zambia may have to fight to see the necessary Bill in Parliament. They may have to fight to ensure that the constituent assembly takes place and then have to fight to ensure that it is made up of a credible representation of the various interest groups in the country.
In other words, more money will have to be wasted. That is unless of course, for once, President Mwanawasa does the right thing inexpensively. The interesting point is that the man still has a chance to rescue his presidency from an epitaph that says: Boring, expensive, wasteful, delivered nothing! Who knows what choice he will make? Maybe this time it will be different and the constituent assembly will come without further waste.
Well we know now don’t we that Levy never is going to choose a path on the Constitution that is in the best interests of this country he governs. He is chronically, almost criminally, self interested. The question that arises in my mind is, should we really as a nation continue to treat such a man with civility? At every turn he has lied to us and still we have given his presidency due respect.
It would seem to me that the Oasis Forum that called for the Red campaign last week, and all those that love Zambia should rethink their stance. We should not be waiting for Levy to lose at the “unnecessary referendum” before we demand his resignation.” Levy must be pushed to either do the right thing now, give us a constituent assembly or resign.
After all, I ask, what are we waiting for? What de we have to guarantee that even that referendum will be transparently held or its results respected. The hour has come for the people of Zambia to say Levy Mwanawasa “we have had enough of you.” The choice given to him therefore should be a constituent assembly or new elections. After all the money is there for a referendum we might as well use it for a change of a sick administration. That is my considered view
lauramiti@yahoo.co.uk
Labels: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, CONSTITUTION, LAURA MITI-BANDA
posted by MrK @ 2:03 AM
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