EASTERN Province Minister Makebi Zulu says the UPND is being misled by trying to oppose Constitution Amendment Bill Number 10 of 2019 outside Parliament in an attempt to prevent it from being enacted into law.

In an interview, Zulu insisted that the success or failure of enacting Bill 10 could only be determined in Parliament.

“I think that is the problem when people are constantly being misled. It is not the first time that the issue of Bill 10 was taken to court; LAZ took the matter to court and they failed on the same basis that the UPND failed this time around. So, we have our processes and we should respect those processes that exist. Parliament has power to legislate, let them legislate. If the Bill is going to pass or fail, let it fail on the floor of the House. After all, the people that are in the House represent the people, including the youths. So, it is important all arms of government carry out the roles that they were enacted for or were given to by the Constitution,” Zulu said.

He argued that the UPND did want Bill 10 to succeed because it rejected the chance to participate in the process.

“From inception, when the Bill started and they decided to pull out, it is obvious that they wouldn’t want something in which they did not have an input to succeed because that renders them irrelevant on the political scene. So, for purposes of maintaining their supposed relevance, they wouldn’t want something that they did not participate in to succeed,” Zulu argued.

“It is for that reason that even when they are saying, ‘Bill 10 is evil,’ they won’t point you to a particular clause that they think is evil. Even after all the amendments that have been proposed and moved by the government to suit what the people of Zambia want, they have not in any way agreed to anything. At any given time, they have an excuse, so it is not strange. It is just those bad archaic politics that they are practicing.”

And Zulu charged that the UPND had continued to spread lies about the Bill by insinuating that if it was enacted, it would lead to the PF hanging on to power.

“It (Bill 10) has no bearing whatsoever on the elections. They should point to a particular clause that it is intended to stop them from being in power or perpetuate PF staying in power, they will not point at any clause, they certainly will not. So, they just dream of things and say, ‘this is it’ and taking advantage of those people that don’t read,” said Zulu.

Monze Central UPND member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu renewed his application for leave to commence judicial review proceedings before the Court of Appeal against Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Patrick Matibini’s decision to allow continued consideration of Bill 10 in Parliament despite it lapsing.

Mwiimbu’s renewed application followed the Lusaka High Court’s refusal to grant him leave.