Newly appointed Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba has stated that President Michael Sata deemed it fit to appoint him into government so that the public could stop questioning him in what capacity he was making government policy statements.
For almost one year, there was a lack of clarity over Kabimba’s role in government, as he was not assigned a formal portfolio in the cabinet but was still listed as the #2 official in the president’s protocol above the Vice President and the Speaker of the legislature.
Speaking to journalists after being sworn in today, Kabimba said the public had not appreciated the role that he was playing as a party functionary to ensure that the government was implementing party programmes as enshrined in the PF manifesto.
“The question that arose from the public was that ‘in what capacity are you speaking on government policy?’ So it was clear that the people had not appreciated the separation of the two positions and therefore in order to reconcile that perception and the original position, the President deemed it necessary that the secretary general should be brought into government and still maintain the position of secretary general of the party. Now, nobody is going to ask me the question, ‘in what capacity are you speaking?’” Kabimba said.
On assertions that he had been appointed justice minister so as to deal with clauses that he was against such as the running mate, Kabimba said he would not participate in the constitution- making process by expressing his personal views.
He said he would go along with what the party and the government would say.
“We are not in this process to import a constitution from any country. I think that must be made clear. We have never as a country given any country a constitution and we shall therefore not accept that any country gives us a constitution. The last constitution that was given to us was given to us by the British during the period of independence. We are going to formulate a constitution that reflects our culture, that reflects our political conditions and that reflects our social conditions,” Kabimba said.