Contact Youth Trust Association Executive Director Mr. Ronnie Jere Press Statement on Bill Ten

Ronnie Jere, CTYA Executive Director in Livingstone, Southern Province, Zambia

CONTACT Youth Trust Association is a youth focused organization based in Livingstone in the Southern Province of Zambia our role is to advocate, provide information and sensitize young people on various social -economic issues that affect young people in the country.

We are concerned by the media reports which are propagating
misinformation about Bill 10. We feel that this section of society wants to simply hijack the
constitution making process by misleading the nation.

There may be some clauses in the bill that require some debate but most of the clauses that Government wants to introduce are progressive as they
will resolve some of the concerns that the same people who are
opposing the amendment bill had earlier in the past brought out.
We are saddened that some sections of society do not want bill 10 to succeed.

Contact Trust Youth Association (CTYA) of Livingstone Southern Province

History of this country has it on record that the same people also hijacked the referendum when the country tried to change the bill of rights in the constitution. We want to state that the constitution of Zambia amendment bill number 10 of 2019 is progressive the following are the reasons;

1. There is no doubt that Zambia is Christian nation and amending this
   clause will help to reaffirm the Christian character of this country.
2. The revision of the electoral system for elections to the
   National Assembly where the country will have more representation is also a very progressive clause.
3. As can be attested in the last general election there is need to
   revise the period of hearing and determination of a presidential election petition.

Contact Youth Trust Association Ronnie Jere

However we do not agree with the following

1. The revision of the manner of election of the mayor and council chairperson.
2. We also do not agree with the establishment of the office of deputy
   ministers as this will be a drain on the national treasury.
3. We further do not agree with the revision of the provisions relating
   to the payment of pension benefits and retention on the payroll as
   doing so will contribute to putting pensioners and those that have retired in dire poverty.

Our plea is to request stakeholders to look in to the amendment of bill ten with an objective lens, Zambians should not politicize everything.

I implore the young people to participate in the ongoing country wide debates on bill ten objectively and not with a politically inclined lens

I thank you. Ronnie Jere CTYA Executive Director

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