The Non Governmental Coordinating Council says they it will de-campaign the Patriotic Front government in 2016 if they do not give Zambians a people driven constitution.
Featuring on Muvi Television’s The Assignment programme, NGOCC Board chairperson Beatrice Grillo said the PF could only ignore calls for a new constitution at their own peril.
And Grillo has wondered which draft constitution the chiefs, quoted by The Post newspapers, have rejected when the President is still saying he has not yet received the draft constitution.
Grillo said the PF risked being a one term party if they did not learn from the fall of the MMD government due to arrogance.
“They are ignoring us at their own peril. If they do not give us this (constitution) we will de-campaign them, we did this with MMD, we will do it with PF,” she warned.
“They will be a one term party. The apartheid regime in South Africa tried ignoring the freedom fighters, did they succeed?” she asked.
Grillo said the Oasis Forum will use all lawful means to demand the new constitution.
“We will use all lawful means to demand the new constitution. We will discuss, we will demand and if necessary demonstrate over the constitution,” she said.
Grillo said there was a misconception that the demand for the new constitution was only about the 50 % plus one vote clause.
She said there was the Bill of Rights, the nomination of ministers from outside parliament and the running mate clause.
Grillo said the claim that the constitution making process was expensive was hollow as democracy was not cheap as demonstrated by the numerous by-elections that have been held.
“Democracy is expensive, look at the by-elections we have been having if the PF government cared they would have found a solution. Democracy is not cheap,” she said.
Grillo said if the PF did not think the constitution as a priority then everything else to them was not a priority.
“The constitution is the highest law of the land and if it is not a priority then we wonder what is. With a constitution that we are fighting for it will provide a foundation for jobs, school opportunities, clean water,” she said.
“The politicians will not give us this constitution in fact others did not promise but these went on a platform to promise a new constitution in 90 days.”
Grillo challenged the chiefs quoted by the Post Newspapers rubbishing the yet to be released draft constitution to state the source of the document they were rejecting.
“What are the chiefs reacting to? Where did they get the draft constitution? Who gave it to them? When I read I wondered where they had got it from and we would like them to share it with us,” she said.
“The President’s position is that they are yet to receive it so where did they get it from?”
Grillo also paid tribute to the opposition Members of Parliament for staging a protest for the demand of the new constitution in parliament.
The post CSO Vow to De-campaign PF in 2016 appeared first on Zambia Reports.