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Non-Zambian Would Qualify Be Mayors, Councillors Under New Constitution

Editor,
The on going National Constitution Convention has proposed to uphold the proposal to allow non Zambian Citizens to be voted into public office and be paid emoluments by government in the office of councillor or mayor by mere obtaining a residence permit. Some of the delegates to the convention have described this proposal as underminig the very soveregnity and sanctity of the entrire process of creating a Zambian Constitution. This allows the scenario of district councils being bought by foreign intrest groups and a foreign mayor from Lebanon, Somalia, Ruwanda or China being elected into public office once he or she has obtained a residence permit.
There are no vetting conditons to prevent a deviant from a foreign country from subverting the function of government and promoting the interests of a foreign power with the inclusion of this misplaced back door for foreigners. Matters of land and licencing which are administered at the local level will no be even further compromised to the disadvantage of the Citizens. It is acceptable to take advice from foreigners but it is now possible that they maybe leading us at the local level. A Porposed Provincial Government to be called the Provincial Assembley has also been proposed of which a Mayor who maybe a foreigner may thus be elected to provincial government. Some delegates have also proposed that it might be prudent to ensure that candidates should be required to be registered voters in the election they wish to participate in. The disregard for the office of councillor may have arisen as currently the centralised system does not allow councils to control and expend much of the national treasury but with the proposed devolution of the governance system these councils shall be responsible for the expenditure of upto 70% of the National Budget. With the strength of foreign lobby groups and special interest groups it can only be described as dangerous and ill concieved to allow foreigners to be voted into power.
Article 214 of the Draft constitution states that:
(1) Subject to clause (5), elections to a district council shall be by direct universal adult suffrage through a secret ballot, conducted under the first-past-the-post system as prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament. (2) A district council shall consist of the following councillors:
(a) a mayor or council chairperson;
(b) a deputy mayor or deputy council chairperson;
(c) councillors elected in accordance with clause (1) by registered voters resident within the district;
(d) Members of Parliament from the district; and
(e) three chiefs representing all the chiefs in the district, elected by the chiefs in the district.

(3) A person shall qualify to be elected as a councillor, excluding councillors specified under clause (2) (d) and (e), if that person-
(a) is not a Member of Parliament;
(b) is not less than eighteen years of age;
(c) has obtained, as a minimum academic qualification, a grade twelve certificate or its equivalent;
(d) is resident in the district, and if that person is not a citizen that person is a holder of a resident permit; and
(e) has a certificate of clearance showing the payment of council rates, levies, charges, taxes, tariffs and fees, where applicable.
(4) A district council may invite any person, whose presence is in its opinion desirable, to attend and to participate in the deliberations of the district council but such person shall have no vote. (5) The term of a district council shall be five years. (6) A councillor shall be paid such allowances as may be determined by the Emoluments Commission.
215. (1) There shall be a mayor or council chairperson and a deputy mayor or deputy council chairperson for every district council. (2) A mayor or council chairperson and a deputy mayor or deputy council chairperson shall be – (a) elected in accordance with Article 214 (1) by registered voters resident within the district, during elections for councillors; (b) elected for a term of five years

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Posted by on April 18, 2013. Filed under NEWS, POLITICS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

11 Responses to Non-Zambian Would Qualify Be Mayors, Councillors Under New Constitution

  1. halfzambian Reply

    April 18, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    Give us our dual citizenship and stop wasting our time ba kwindi!!

  2. NGOSHE KU BWENDO Reply

    April 18, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    MUSULA OBE CI HALF ZAMBIAN CABULO MUSHI

  3. Fulunyemba Reply

    April 18, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    Not a good idea at all!
    Greedy, selfish, corrupt Zambians will be able to sell whole towns and cities to foreigners now.
    Not a good idea at all!

  4. Toka Reply

    April 18, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    We can only allow this person if has lived in Zambia at least 100 years, then he can qualify to hold such an office. Zambians lets be serious with this. Yes we can allow them to give advise but not to rule. It is only unpatriotic zammbian who can suggest such a thing

  5. Zambian Reply

    April 18, 2013 at 10:40 pm

    This is the most ridiculous,most idiotic and most ****** proposal for the constitution. Which country on earth have you seen foreigners being allowed to be councillors and mayors? Councillors are responsible for developing and looking after the local areas; how can foreigners be given such responsibility. Where is your sense of pride Zambians? Where is your spirit of Nationalism? When are you going to wake up and stop giving mother Zambia to foreigners? IDIOTS!

  6. former Reply

    April 19, 2013 at 12:16 am

    we are selling our country to foreiners now,do not worry,all the councilors and mayors will be chinese because zambia in 2 years time will be colonized by china.

  7. sims khris Reply

    April 19, 2013 at 12:29 pm

    we have got a Zambian in Poland who’s a MP so there’s
    no thing wrong with that and try to research and you
    will find out most countries have adopted it

    • Zambian Reply

      April 19, 2013 at 5:27 pm

      You go visit Poland. They will throw you in the railway tracks if you board their train and Shout: Monkey, monkey! Go to POland and see for yourself.

  8. kelly Reply

    April 19, 2013 at 12:49 pm

    THERE IS NOTHING WRONG…… STOP BEING XENOPHOBIC

    • Zambian Reply

      April 19, 2013 at 5:25 pm

      You talk about xenophobia! Visit nearby countries eg South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and DRC and see for yourself what you can do there? Nothing! You cant even start a business in South Africa; even the buses that go there are given a lot of headache but you have zambia flooded with South African crap. Go visit China: Black people cant even walk in the streets! You wont be allowed to be a councillor if you cant even walk in their streets.

  9. Boby Reply

    April 19, 2013 at 5:25 pm

    who is behind this level of Stupidity?
    who are the individuals in this commission?
    do you not realise that you are selling this country to the foreigners?

    are the people in this commission real Zambians?
    Or are they Zambians by Chance like most Tanzanians, Angolans,Zimbabweans and Malawians? Mwakalengas of Tanzania are now called Mulengas and call themselves Zambians. that is why we have a problem with patriotism in Zambia. Foreigners have so infiltrated this country,even at very high political level, that they push their own foreign agendas at the expense of mother Zambia.

    Iam very sure some fools in that commission have been bribed by greedy foreigners-especially Indians,Somalians, Senegalese and the Chinese to foster that agenda so that they can start ruling slowly but surely. What a shame!

    when are Zambians going going wake up?

    why cant you take a leaf from your neighbours like Botswana whose citizens are so much in love with their nation that foreigners find it very hard just even to enter the country.

    now here in Zambia, you are even seriously considering making them your Mayors.it it because of poverty- which is so widely spread in this country- that you want to sell even the very fabric that holds your identity and integrity?

    has it really gotten to this for sure.do these people even know why our fore fathers kicked out the foreigners from national leadership and Zambia became independent?

    You ****** commissioners.Our grand fathers and mothers shed blood for this value of Leadership during colonial times. And now, you want to bring the very thing they fought against back?

    ****** vampires.

    Every genuine and true patriot of this great nation must stand up and fight against this evil manipulation.

    Iam appealing to all MP’s and the president Mr. Michael Sata not to approve such a demonic clause in the Draft Constitution.

    we do not want a repeat of the Chilubas of Congo, the Bwezani Rupiah Bandas of Zimbabwe/Malawi and the KK of Malawi to rule this country again!

    Just look at the damage each and every one of these foreign leaders did to this country.

    KK- ran down this country from being the 2nd best economy in Africa in the 60s and 70s to one of the poorest countries in the world.

    Chiluba-drove Zambia into the bracket of the most corrupt political regimes in the world.

    Mwanawasa-his soul rest in perfect peace- a true and patriotic Zambian, tried to turn things around for the better. Unfortunately death store him away from us and then came;

    Rupiah Bwezani Banda-yet another foreigner- brought back corruption to another level where even his children became part of the game.

    his friend’s children became instant billionaires( Dora Siliya’s son).

    Some of his friends did not even know what to do with the stolen money to the extent that they started planting it underground in full view of their farm workers.

    Please and I repeat! do not encourage let alone approve this Clause. we should never- even if means starving to death-allow a foreigner to take up political leadership. THAT IS ALL WE HAVE LEFT!

    Our Mines have been taken by foreigners and look at how they treat Zambians. look at who they are considering for critical positions- their KIND- only FOREIGNERS.

    LETS WAKE UP!

    LET’S US NOT BE A COUNTRY OF FOOLS.

    I REST MY CASE THE REST IS UP TO YOU BROTHER and SISTER READING THIS ARTICLE.

    THANK YOU TUMFWEKO FOR GIVING ME THIS PLATFORM AS SOME RESPONSIBLE ZAMBIAN LIKE PRESIDENT MICHAEL SATA MIGHT JUST SEE IT AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT.

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