UPND’s constitutional reform discussions are a gimmick to shift people’s attention – Caritas Zambia

Caritas Zambia has stated that the current […]

Caritas Zambia has stated that the current discussions around constitutional reforms and changing presidential term limits are a strategy to shift people’s attention from serious issues affecting the country.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Caritas Zambia Executive Director, Fr. Gabriel Mapulanga said Zambia currently has serious issues that require immediate attention.

Fr. Mapulanga said the country should focus on matters affecting citizens instead of allowing attention to move towards discussions about presidential terms.

“We should focus on what is pertinent at the moment and not start talking about terms of office and other things when we have a crisis that does not allow our attention to be shifted to something else,” he said.

The clergy added that among the issues requiring attention are the arrest of opposition figures and the circumstances surrounding the death of former Cabinet Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya.

“The big problem is the arrest of the opposition contender and his running mate, the closing of the court and the other issues that we have not yet discussed exactly how we are going to deal with them,” he said.

Fr. Mapulanga said the circumstances surrounding Kafwaya’s death have also contributed to the concerns being raised about the country’s current situation.

He told ZBT that the European Union (EU) and the Human Rights Commission have sought clarity on what happened, making an independent investigation important.

“The death of Mr. Kafwaya is one of the things that have put us into this crisis, and the EU and the Human Rights Commission also want to know exactly what happened,” said Fr. Mapulanga.

He explained that an investigation conducted by institutions perceived to have an interest in the matter could raise questions about its credibility.

“The problem is that the investigation may be done by people who have an interest, and that will make it very difficult, so what we need is maybe to have an independent investigation that will take this thing seriously and very fast,” said Fr. Mapulanga.

He said the immediate focus should therefore remain on resolving the country’s pressing governance and accountability concerns before attention is diverted to constitutional term-limit discussions.

By Philip Sinkala