ZCCB President & Bishop of Chipata Rt. Rev. George Cosmas Zumaire Lungu earnestly appeal to conscience of ALL Members of Parliament across the political divide to respect the will of the majority Zambians and immediately withdraw the said Bill 10 of 2019
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President Lungu with Cathgolic Bishops
- “Happy are those who hunger and thirstfor what is right; they shall be satisfied” (Mathew 5: 6)
1. To the Catholic faithful in Zambia and all people of good will.
2. We, the Catholic Bishops of Zambia, greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. INSPIRED by deep insights from the Word of God and the Social Teaching of the Church and our prophetic call to uphold the dignity of every person as well as the need for our political leaders to promote and defend the rights of all Zambians regardless of their political persuasion, creed, colour or belief and by our own desire and that of many Zambians to voice out and respectfully engage with duty bearers on pertinent socio-economic and political issues;
4. APPRECIATE all the efforts that have been made by the government and all its collaborators to formulate the current Constitution Bill No. 10 of 2019 which is on the floor of the house, waiting to be presented for the second reading;
5. ACKNOWLEDGE the desire and the need by Zambians to address the lacunas that are in the 2016 Amended Constitution.
6. We are ENCOURAGED by the realisation of many Zambians, that the said Bill in its current form does not reflect the constitutional desires of the majority Zambians and that that is why a lot of reference is being made to the parliamentary committee report on Bill 10 and the suggestions of changes to be made to Bill 10 by Cabinet who are the primary mover of the said Bill;
7. AWARE and CONCERNED about the dwindling levels of vigilance among Zambians in general as they continue watching and saying nothing on the increasing incidents of human rights abuse, political violence, high levels of corruption, poor observance of rule of law and now the manipulation of masses over Bill 10, exhibited by those who have taken it upon themselves to popularise it;
8. Having undertaken a comparative analysis of Bill 10, the Parliamentary Report on the same Bill and the Current Amended Constitution of 2016, we note that while Bill 10 may contain some progressive clauses, it also contains some retrogressive and highly contentious clauses such as the provision for Deputy Ministers, proposed changes in the electoral system regarding Mayors, Council Chairpersons, Members of Parliament and the President, and the proposed revision of the composition of Cabinet;
9. Firstly and in line with our prophetic mandate, we wish to express our SOLIDARITY with the many Zambians who are denied their right to exercise their freedoms of expression and assembly; including the youths whose cry has become louder in the recent days.
10. Secondly, we firmly believe that any legitimate process of making, reviewing and amending the supreme law of the land ought to be premised on a process that is widely inclusive, transparent, accountable and anchored on consensus building rather than partisan interests.
11. Unfortunately, what we have observed with regard to Bill 10 is that, the process that was undertaken lacked genuine consensus and has become a source of division in the country. Instead of bringing Zambians together for a common cause, it has further polarized them. As we have said before, the making of a people-driven constitution that would stand the test of time calls for a spirit of dialogue with all stakeholders. This “Dialogue involves a courteous discussion with a view to reaching or at least moving closer to a consensus. This requires stakeholders to be open, to be ready to listen and to share positions that wiZZ see a better future. We therefore appeal to the citizens of Zambia for a high ZeveZ of patriotism and love of neighbour, even when you disagree with their views. We appeal for an attitude of willingness to enter into fruitful and genuine dialogue” (Cf. GIVE HOPE TO OUR PEOPLE, A Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops ofZambia on the On-going Constitutional Review, Issued on 16th November,
2005, #7)
12. In conclusion, we hereby make our earnest appeal to the conscience of ALL Members of Parliament across the political divide to respect the will of the majority Zambians and immediately withdraw the said Bill 10 from the floor of the House.
13. At the same time, we urge the people of Zambia not to lose hope. - We genuinely believe the words of our Lord Jesus Christ that those who hunger and thirst for justice will in the end be satisfied! We further call on all well-meaning and God-fearing Zambians to pray that the Almighty God, not only blesses this nation but also ” Zet justice flow like a river and integrity tike an unfailing stream” (Amos 5:24).
Issued and signed on behalf of Catholic Bishops in Zambia, on Tüesday, 9th June 2020 — Memorial of St Ephrem, Deacon & Doctor.
Rt. Rev. George Cosmas Zumaire Lungu,
Bishop of Chipata, ZCCB PRESIDENT.
“Happy are those who hunger and thirstfor what is right; they shall be satisfied” (Mathew 5: 6)
1. To the Catholic faithful in Zambia and all people of good will.
2. We, the Catholic Bishops of Zambia, greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. INSPIRED by deep insights from the Word of God and the Social Teaching of the Church and our prophetic call to uphold the dignity of every person as well as the need for our political leaders to promote and defend the rights of all Zambians regardless of their political persuasion, creed, colour or belief and by our own desire and that of many Zambians to voice out and respectfully engage with duty bearers on pertinent socio-economic and political issues;
4. APPRECIATE all the efforts that have been made by the government and all its collaborators to formulate the current Constitution Bill No. 10 of 2019 which is on the floor of the house, waiting to be presented for the second reading;
5. ACKNOWLEDGE the desire and the need by Zambians to address the lacunas that are in the 2016 Amended Constitution.
6. We are ENCOURAGED by the realisation of many Zambians, that the said Bill in its current form does not reflect the constitutional desires of the majority Zambians and that that is why a lot of reference is being made to the parliamentary committee report on Bill 10 and the suggestions of changes to be made to Bill 10 by Cabinet who are the primary mover of the said Bill;
7. AWARE and CONCERNED about the dwindling levels of vigilance among Zambians in general as they continue watching and saying nothing on the increasing incidents of human rights abuse, political violence, high levels of corruption, poor observance of rule of law and now the manipulation of masses over Bill 10, exhibited by those who have taken it upon themselves to popularise it;
8. Having undertaken a comparative analysis of Bill 10, the Parliamentary Report on the same Bill and the Current Amended Constitution of 2016, we note that while Bill 10 may contain some progressive clauses, it also contains some retrogressive and highly contentious clauses such as the provision for Deputy Ministers, proposed changes in the electoral system regarding Mayors, Council Chairpersons, Members of Parliament and the President, and the proposed revision of the composition of Cabinet;
9. Firstly and in line with our prophetic mandate, we wish to express our SOLIDARITY with the many Zambians who are denied their right to exercise their freedoms of expression and assembly; including the youths whose cry has become louder in the recent days.
10. Secondly, we firmly believe that any legitimate process of making, reviewing and amending the supreme law of the land ought to be premised on a process that is widely inclusive, transparent, accountable and anchored on consensus building rather than partisan interests.
11. Unfortunately, what we have observed with regard to Bill 10 is that, the process that was undertaken lacked genuine consensus and has become a source of division in the country. Instead of bringing Zambians together for a common cause, it has further polarized them. As we have said before, the making of a people-driven constitution that would stand the test of time calls for a spirit of dialogue with all stakeholders. This “Dialogue involves a courteous discussion with a view to reaching or at least moving closer to a consensus. This requires stakeholders to be open, to be ready to listen and to share positions that wiZZ see a better future. We therefore appeal to the citizens of Zambia for a high ZeveZ of patriotism and love of neighbour, even when you disagree with their views. We appeal for an attitude of willingness to enter into fruitful and genuine dialogue” (Cf. GIVE HOPE TO OUR PEOPLE, A Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops ofZambia on the On-going Constitutional Review, Issued on 16th November,
2005, #7)
12. In conclusion, we hereby make our earnest appeal to the conscience of ALL Members of Parliament across the political divide to respect the will of the majority Zambians and immediately withdraw the said Bill 10 from the floor of the House.
13. At the same time, we urge the people of Zambia not to lose hope. We genuinely believe the words of our Lord Jesus Christ that those who hunger and thirst for justice will in the end be satisfied! We further call on all well-meaning and God-fearing Zambians to pray that the Almighty God, not only blesses this nation but also ” Zet justice flow like a river and integrity tike an unfailing stream” (Amos 5:24).
Issued and signed on behalf of Catholic Bishops in Zambia, on lüesday, 9th June 2020 — Memorial of St Ephrem, Deacon & Doctor.
Rt. Rev. George Cosmas Zumaire Lungu,
Bishop of Chipata, ZCCB PRESIDENT.
Catholic Bishops in Zambia have elected Reverend George Lungu, Bishop of Chipata Diocese as President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB)
