BILL 10 IS BACK

By SILUMESI MALUMOTHE Constitutional Amendment Bill no 10 has been reinstated for debate in Parliament following a motion raised by Vice President Inonge Wina, forcing some UPND MPs to walkout in protest.Some UPND Members of Parliament walked out of Parliament on Friday when Ms Wina, moved a motion to reinstate bills, including the constitution amendment …

BILL 10 IS BACK
By SILUMESI MALUMOTHE Constitutional Amendment Bill no 10 has been reinstated for debate in Parliament following a motion raised by Vice President Inonge Wina, forcing some UPND MPs to walkout in protest.Some UPND Members of Parliament walked out of Parliament on Friday when Ms Wina, moved a motion to reinstate bills, including the constitution amendment Bill 10 which were not debated in the last session.Ms Wina said parliamentary procedure was that when it resumes sittings, bills such as amendment Bill number 10 of 2019, Food and Nutrition bill, Food Reserve Agency bill among others which were not concluded were supposed to be reinstated.She urged all MPs to support the motion for the bills to be concluded during this sitting.Several MPs did support the motion and all the bills were reinstated.But the leader of the opposition, Mr Jack Mwiimbu, indicated that the UPND MPs would never support Bill 10 which had already elapsed.Mr Mwiimbu, who is Monze Central MP, said the Patriotic Front wanted to reinstate Bill 10 because it was a ventilator to ensure that President Edgar Lungu was eligible to stand in 2021 elections.He said that the UPND would not participate in such issues which were intended to protect the PF.Meanwhile, Government Deputy Chief Whip, Tutwa Ngulube, reminded Mr Mwiimbu that Bill 10 was not meant to protect the PF but to amend the 2016 amended constitution.Mr Ngulube indicated that if Bill 10 did not pass, the UPND should never cry foul when they lose the 2021 general elections.He said that Bill 10 gave an opportunity for MPs to amend the constitution which had a number of lacunas.Mr Ngulube who is also Kabwe Central MP said that if Bill 10 was passed it would address issues such as the presidential petition period that had been a source of concern among political players, especially the UPND.He said UPND would obviously lose the 2021 general elections and they would run to the courts and if the constitution was not amended, the 14-day presidential petition would stay and they should never cry foul.