The following statement was distributed by Alliance for Better Zambia:
When Zambians allow ABZ to form government we shall prioritize governance reforms especially constitutional and political reforms needed to cure many of the needless challenges our country has been facing.
Our party believes that many national problems and challenges in our country are caused by bad governance. We are also convinced that mediocre, corrupt and shortsighted political leadership is mainly responsible for Zambia’s lack of progress in many key sectors including the economy. These mediocre, corrupt and shortsighted political leaders have thrived in our country because of a bad system that has been sustained by a bad Republican Constitution and other undemocratic practices.
The current scenario where a sitting president has failed to perform his duties and still occupies the office of Republican President is one typical example of bad governance promoted by a bad constitution.
Due to the president’s failure to perform his duties, the country is recording losses on a daily basis. In monetary terms, these losses account for thousands of Kwacha of much needed tax payer’s money. National decisions which should have a positive impact on the lives of our people are delayed because the key government decision making platform, the cabinet, has not been functioning. In the meantime, the absent president continues to enjoy full pay and other benefits at the expense of national development.
Moreover, there many important functions that the president can’t delegate including receiving credentials from representatives of countries we enjoy bilateral relations with. These diplomats are being made to wait indefinitely. This is just one simple example which is but a tip of the iceberg. The reality is that a lot of things are affected by this situation which a good constitution should easily cure.
Against this background, ABZ in government will push for the specific constitutional reform to allow a sitting president to resign and hand over power to another person from his or her party without having a costly and needless presidential election.
This reform should also allow a sponsoring political party under specified conditions to recall a sitting president and replace him with another person like what the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa did to former president Thabo Mbeki.
In our case, a sitting president clings on to power even when rendered unfit to continue occupying the seat for fear of a presidential election should he or she step down. Members of his or her party, friends and relatives who have been given all kinds of jobs put pressure on the incapacitated president to hang in there as a way of sustaining their jobs and other benefits that political incumbency brings with it. State machinery also fears a situation where a ruling party would lose the presidency to an opposition political party. Such, a situation though never experienced before in Zambia sends chilling signals of governance turmoil.
Hence, state machinery also aids the ruling party to maintain a president who is incapacitated. So the country suffers just because of one man. In fact, the illegal conduct of the police to limit the democratic space for the opposition by violating our rights and freedoms such as freedom of assembly should be seen in this light. The judiciary will also continue to make judgments to favour those in power as they scheme to hold on to power. In this case, no one should underplay the effect of the fact that these judges are appointed by the same ruling party and many of them are appointed for political convenience.
As such, we have seen that those judges in recent times that have pleased the ruling party have been instantly promoted whereas those that have opted to uphold justice and common sense have been victimized in various ways including questionable transfers.
Therefore, as Zambia celebrates the independence Golden Jubilee, ABZ calls upon all Zambians to put aside political differences and show common purpose in addressing the bad governance that is being perpetrated by bad laws especially the constitution. Our Golden Jubilee is a rare opportunity for us to be united and correct the mistakes that have contributed to underdevelopment in our country.
Finally, we urge all political leaders to die a little and push a national agenda for the good of posterity.
Fr. Frank Bwalya
ABZ LEADER
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