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The Civil Society Constitutional Agenda (CiSCA) has called on President Hakainde Hichilema to commence the process of holding a national referendum.
Judith Mulenga, the CiSCA Chairperson, said this in a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday.
Mulenga said this was to enshrine the progressive economic and social measures his government had introduced in the Bill of Rights to safeguard these critical human rights provisions against future vagaries of chance.
She said CiSCA has noted and shares the President’s concerns and fears during his press briefing on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at State House of possible negation of such progressive measures if he is not President.
“The President outlined that the free education he has re-introduced, the meal allowances for tertiary students and the increased amounts of social cash transfers could easily be overturned by another government or President,” Mulenga said.
She said while CiSCA commends the President and his government for putting in place measures to provide free education, health and social security, the President’s concerns are not unfounded considering the unfettered powers that the President has in this country.
Mulenga said CiSCA also believe that being the sitting President he wants to build a legacy, and safeguarding some of these initiatives is one sure way of achieving this.
“In this regard we strongly urge the President to expedite the process of expanding our Bill of Rights, to ensure that these measures, among other economic, social and cultural rights, are enshrined in our Constitution as sustainable safeguards for the vulnerable in our society whose vulnerability will not likely end any time soon,” she said.
Mulenga said without a constitutional safeguard, it may appear like the measures are mere favours from the President, and he or another person may withdraw as and when they wish.
She said for the referendum to succeed, there is need to first build consensus among citizens especially political leaders so as not to turn the referendum into a battlefield but a commemoration of a truly unified national undertaking.
“The referendum should ideally be held a year before the 2026 general elections in order to divorce it from the adversarial hostile environment that characterizes our general elections,” Mulenga said.
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