ZANASU Vice President Steven Musonda Kanyakula sets June-July 2021 as internal election calendar for student unions
By Esther Munika Mwanashiku, Derrick Sinjela and Ashton Kelly Bunda
Zambia National Students’ Union (ZANASU) Vice President Steven Musonda Kanyakula says 2021 has been a very busy year for all governance and democratic institutions in Zambia, as all march towards conducting internal elections, to gain legitimacy ahead of Thursday 12th August 2021 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government elections.
During a ZANASU Press Briefing on Internal Institutional Elections and other National Issues held at Mika Lodges in Jesmondine, Lusaka on Friday, 2nd April, 2021, Mr. Kanyakula, the Zambia National Students’ Union deputy leader is equally urging political parties to adopt more young people as councilors, council chairpersons and mayor’s.
Mutati, Chimense Eric and Mwanakatwe
Kanyakula says from lawyers to sports institutions, students’ private companies to political parties, are all conducting internal elections for electing their leaders.
Kanyakula says the students’ movement, beginning with ZANASU, will begin to hold internal elections this year under the new normal due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“ZANASU elections will begin with Provincial elections to usher in executives for Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern Region in which only institutions of higher learning will participate. These elections will be held in June, 2021 and followed by the ZANASU Extraordinary and Elective Congress in July, 2021 where all leaders will be elected for the student body,” explained Kanyakula.
Kanyakula called on institutions which had not yet paid or discharged their membership obligations to the Students umbrella body to do so if they have to participate in both Provincial and National Elections.
UPPZ President Charles Chanda holds a successful Northern Province Provincial Conference
On Intra Party Elections, Kanyakula said as students, they are thrilled to note that political parties have been holding intra party elections.
“Holding internal elections by political parties is not only necessary but a constitutional requirement. In this vein we want to commend the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), United Party for National Development (UPND) for successfully holding their elections. We are aware that the Patriotic Front will be holding its internal elections in April having successfully held polls in grassroots structures with the mandate to elect the leaders who shall lead the PF in the next 5 years. We look forward to seeing that the ruling party is taking a lead in holding peaceful, free and fair elections,” noted Kanyakula.
ZANASU Vice President Steven Kanyakula sets June-July 2021 as internal election calendar for student unions
However, Kanyakula is greatly worried that a lot of youthful members of political parties being elected to senior positions of these parties continue to go down. What is sad is that our political parties have reduced the ascending of youths to political positions through appointments and not elections. As students, we call upon political parties to ensure more youths are elected to positions of leadership,” advised Kanyakula.
For instance, ZANASU acknowledged that President Edgar Chagwa Lungu had done so well as Republican President in empowering women to ascend to leadership positions.
“This is very commendable. In the same vein, we appeal to President Lungu to support youths who want to take up leadership, beginning with leadership in his own party, to appointing more youths in Government – now or when he is re-elected President in August 2021,” played Kanyakula.
The ZANASU Vice President supported the idea that persons elected to Parliament must possess the necessary academic education.
“This is important, especially that Parliament has the task to scrutinize Bills presented by Government or private members. We must be quick to point out that we do not agree that only those who have Grade 12 Certificates must be in place, technically knocking out those who do not have thew Grade 12 Certificate but they may have higher academic qualifications such as degrees in law, business, economics,” noted Kanyakula.
“Our education system allows mature entry into universities and colleges without the need for one to have a Grade 12 Certificate. Other considerations are made. The degrees which persons who enter into our universities acquire are much better than the Grade 12 Certificate. We therefore ask, how can a person who studied law be barred from the law-making process on the pretext that they do not have a Grade 12 Certificate? At some point, we believe this law must be clarified,’ Kanyakula observed.
Kanyakula backed the new initiative by President Lungu encouraging people without Grade 12 Certificates to go back to school.
“We support this Presidential Education Initiative and we look forward to working with the persons who have been tasked to roll out this initiative all parts of the country. The Presidential Education Initiative must be extended to rural areas in which very few of our citizens take education seriously or they have challenges to complete school. We want to commend the President for this initiative,” appreciated Kanyakula.
HH with former Youth and Sport Deputy Minister Stephen Masumba in Lusaka on Thursday 1st April 2021 – PICTURE by Kwilanzi News Zambia
Kanyakula welcomed Dr. Lungu’s assenting of the Cyber Crimes Bill into law.
Kanyakula says the law is long overdue as an effective means to fight the crimes which happen using the cyberspace.
“We are aware that Zambia has a constitutional freedoms, such as freedom of expression, which are guaranteed by the Constitution of Zambia. However, these freedoms are not without limits. The limitations of these freedoms in order to protect persons from crimes is necessary in any democratic state. We cannot continue to have people commit crimes using the cyberspace in the name of freedoms. Those who responsibly use the cyber space must not be worried about this cybercrimes law. Only criminals or those who commit crimes using the cyberspace must be the ones to worry,” noted Kanyakula.
Kanyakula encouraged student peers to use the internet responsibly and to enhance their well-being than use this space to engage in criminal activities,” admonished Kanyakula.
Kanyakula reiterated ZANASU’s call to political parties to adopt more youths, not only in the forthcoming general elections.
“It is good that political parties are conducting internal elections. While, we are not happy with the strict demand for a Grade 12 Certificate in contesting elections at the expense other better and higher academic qualifications, we want to commend the President Lungu for committing himself to supporting those who want to go back to school to obtain the equivalent of the Grade 12 Certificates,” noted Kanyakula.
President Edgar Chagwa Lungu (right) being welcomed by Bishop Dr. Joshua Banda at Show Grounds in Lusaka Sun 27 Dec 2020
Kanyakula backed the Presidential Education Initiative as a timely move that must be implemented without any delay.
“We want to see more than one million youths supported by the President as he concludes his last and second term in 2026,” Kanyakula said as ZANASU wished all Zambians a Happy Easter 2021.
ZANASU Vice President Steven Musonda Kanyakula in a green suit with peers Friday 2nd April 2021 pix by Derrick Sinjela
PRESS BRIEFING BY THE ZAMBIA NATIONAL STUDENTS’ UNION ON INTERNAL INSTITUTIONAL ELECTIONS AND OTHER NATIONAL ISSUES HELD AT MIKA LODGES ON FRIDAY, 2ND APRIL, 2021 AND ADDRESSED BY ZANASU VICE PRESIDENT STEVEN KANYAKULA
Good Morning Members of the Press
This year is a very busy year for all governance and democratic institutions in Zambia as all march towards conducting internal elections. From lawyers to sports institutions, students’ private companies to political parties all are conducting internal elections for electing their leaders. The students’ movement, beginning with ZANASU, will begin to hold internal elections this year under the new normal due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
ZANASU INTERNAL ELECTIONS
We therefore would like to announce that ZANASU elections will begin with Provincial elections to usher in executives for Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern Region in which only institutions of higher learning will participate. These elections will be held in June, 2021 and followed by the ZANASU Extraordinary and Elective Congress in July, 2021 where all leaders will be elected for the student body.
We therefore call on institutions who have not discharged their membership obligations to do so if they have to participate in both Provincial and National Elections to the Students umbrella body.
Intra Party Elections
As students, we are also thrilled to note that political parties have been holding their intra party elections. Holding internal elections by political parties is not only necessary but a constitutional requirement. In this vein we want to commend the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), United Party for National Development (UPND) for successfully holding their elections. We are also aware that the Patriotic Front will be holding its internal elections in April having successfully conducted the holding of grassroots structures with the mandate to elect the leaders who shall lead the PF in the next 5 years. We look forward to seeing that the ruling party is taking a lead in holding peaceful, free and fair elections.
However, we are greatly worried to note that the numbers of youth members of political parties being elected to senior positions of these parties continue to go down. What is sad is that our political parties have reduced the ascending of youths to political positions through appointments and not elections. As students, we call upon political parties to ensure more youths are elected to positions of leadership.
For instance, we know that President Lungu has done so well as Republican President in empowering women to ascend to leadership positions. This is very commendable. In the same vein, we appeal to President Lungu to support youths who want to take up leadership, beginning with leadership in his own party, to appointing more youths in Government – now or when he is re-elected President in August 2021.
Grade 12 Requirement
ZANASU supports the idea that persons who are elected to Parliament must possess the necessary academic education. This is important, especially that Parliament has the task to scrutinize Bills presented by Government or private members. We must be quick to point out that we do not agree that only those who have Grade 12 Certificates must be in place, technically knocking out those who do not have thew Grade 12 Certificate but they may have higher academic qualifications such as degrees in law, business, economics, etc.
Our education system allows mature entry into universities and colleges without the need for one to have a Grade 12 Certificate. Other considerations are made. The degrees which persons who enter into our universities acquire are much better than the Grade 12 Certificate. We therefore ask, how can a person who studied law be barred from the law-making process on the pretext that they do not have a Grade 12 Certificate? At some point, we believe this law must be clarified.
But we must be quick to note of the new initiative by President Lungu to encourage people without Grade 12 Certificates to go back to school. We support this Presidential Education Initiative and we look forward to working with the persons who have been tasked to roll out this initiative all parts of the country. The Presidential Education Initiative must be extended to rural areas in which very few of our citizens take education seriously or they have challenges to complete school. We want to commend the President for this initiative.
The Cybercrimes Law
As students, we welcome the assenting of the Cyber Crimes Bill into law by the President. This law has been long overdue if we are to fight the crimes which happen using the cyberspace. We are aware that this country has constitutional freedoms, such as freedom of expression, which are guaranteed by the Constitution of Zambia. However, these freedoms are not without limits. The limitations of these freedoms in order to protect persons from crimes is necessary in any democratic state.
We cannot continue to have people commit crimes using the cyberspace in the name of freedoms. Those who responsibly use the cyber space must not be worried about this cybercrimes law. Only criminals or those who commit crimes using the cyberspace must be the ones to worry. We thus encourage our students to use the internet responsibly and to enhance their wellbeing than use this space to engage in criminal activities.
CONCLUSION
As we conclude, we want to reiterate our call to political parties to adopt more youths, not only in the forthcoming general elections, but also when these political parties are conducting their internal elections. Further, while we are not happy with the strict demand for a Grade 12 Certificate in contesting elections at the expense other better and higher academic qualifications, we want to commend the President for committing himself to supporting those who want to go back to school to obtain the equivalent of the Grade 12 Certificates. The Presidential Education Initiative is a timely move that must be implemented without any delay. We want to see more than one million youths supported by the President as he concludes his last and second term in 2026.
We wish all Zambians a Happy Easter! God Bless our Nation, Zambia. https://www.facebook.com/416374765404908/posts/1325511541157888/?app=fbl
