The Members of Parliament at the National Dialogue are plotting a malicious move in which they want to demote the Mayors.
Currently, Zambia is facing serious rife between MPs and Mayors because mayor’s office seems to have overshadowed the National Assembly in the district.
The beef between the two offices is in almost all the districts and the Mayors have been surviving on single thread which is the President who is against the idea of MPs going back in the Council chambers.
It seems the President who is an advocate of decentralisation is against the MPs from being the Law Makers and implementers.
This is as good as the MPs being the arresting officers, prosecutors and the judges.
MPs going back into the Council Chambers means this country will never progress because we are making forward and backwards laws.
Accorsing to Section 4 of the National Dialogue Act No.1 of 2019 provides for the delegates to vary , add or subtract any provision in the draft Constitutional bill of 2019.
Based on that provision in sub section 2, Parliamentarians are going to present a proposal to amend article 154 of the current Republican constitution to change the way a Mayor and Council Chairperson is elected.
The MPs are suggesting that the mayors be elected from amongst councillors and not by popular vote.
This is aimed at reducing the power of the office of the Mayors and expose them to impeachment.
There are four sub committees discussing all articles with 50 members in each.
On proposal by MPs to amend article 154 to have mayors elected by councillors, the groups have decided as follows;
Group 1- agreed to changing
Group 2- not yet decided
Group 3- agreed to changing
Group 4- opposed to changing
In Group 4 that’s where the Mayors are as delegates.
The reports have to be submitted to the main plenary where all of the mayors will meet on Monday to put it to a vote from the 200 delegates.
The truth of the matter is that the Local Government Association of Zambia President Christopher Kangombe can’t fight and win alone through the forum.
MPs have won it already. At this point the only way for the mayors is to expose MPs to the nation and beyond of their selfishness.
When will Zambian politicians grow up and act in the interest of Zambians?
Since Independence we are still enacting, amending and reviewing the same piece of Legislation.
The current constitution says if the President doesn’t ascent to the amendments it goes back for second reading and if he doesn’t ascent after third reading the amendments becomes automatically Law.
Zambains must name and shame them.
