UPND National Chairperson Mutale Nalumango says her party will not allow any dubious Constitutional amendments which will only favor the PF.

And Nalumango says the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) is a complete let down.

Reacting to Justice Minister Given Lubinda’s recent statement that there were so many lacunas in the current Constitution which needed amendments, Nalumango said the current Constitution was hurriedly assented to in order to confuse people.

“Indeed there are many lacunas but if they want to do it dubiously to create something for themselves, we won’t allow that…That was a political gimmick because people wanted a Constitution, they spend five years without passing it and they bring it in the last year just to confuse people with many lacunas. Indeed the Constitution needs to be looked at but they can’t sit alone and take it to parliament which is a skilled towards end, they have to consult,” Nalumango said.

She said amending the current Constitution must be done through wide consultations.

“If they have to be any amendments, there has to be many consultations. It is not a PF amendment. Because if Zambians allow that, that means again we will have to work on it. So any serious lacunas that need amendments or clarification within the law, there must be wide consultation. Not what they did, they first hide the Constitution, play games for five years and in the last years that is when they come up with [a constitution], they think they can do it hurriedly, that should not be allowed,” Nalumango said.

And on President Lungu’s statement that it would be better for presidents to get a 10-year term, Nalumango said five years was too long.

“In fact, five years is too long. We need even to reduce to four years because we want to see that the government works. If you are going to work, change is seen in the first one year. The second year people must say ‘yes we have moved’. So he doesn’t need 10 years or seven years for him to perform. That kind of amendment they should stop dreaming about, we will oppose it strongly,” she said.

And Nalumango said the ACC had been a complete let down.

“In as much as one would want to be happy, one would wonder for example on the fire tenders. Surely did they have to wait for public outcry? Isn’t it their duty to comfort the public because they would have done proper investigations? We hope that they will be genuine this time, they will be sincere, they will truly investigate and a reasonable explanation will come out. Because to me, it was an embarrassment to throw out cases and yet we seem to be seeing those opposition leaders with cases. Surely they are removing confidence from institutions of governance because of the way that they have been acting,” said Nalumango.

“Who could have been really be happy with the fire tenders which are failing to operate at such a enormous cost? When the very maximum they could have spent was 200 000 plus or 300 000 but we will wait and see. If they want again to dupe people , Zambians are not dull. Now all you need is to click to know the supplier and to know the cost. So you can’t hide information today. For them they said the procedure was followed, even the procedure, I don’t think they investigated the procedure fully to see who did the bid? How open was the bid before the tender was given? We need all those details. How many did bid, how open was the selection and indeed where the specifications followed according to what was finally supplied? That is just one thing but they have picked 20 [cases] I don’t know exactly which those 20 are. But if they can truly do a good job, they may just gain or earn a little credibility. For now, under this government to me, the ACC has been a letdown, a complete let down.”