UPND boycotts indialogue
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) says it will not participate the national dialogue if it is not be led by the Commonwealth, party spokesperson
Charles Kakoma has said
Mr Kakoma told the Daily Nation yesterday in an interview that the UPND would have nothing to do with Zambia Inter-Party Dialogue-led dialogue process.
Mr Kakoma was reacting to President Edgar Lungu’s directive to Justice Minister Given Lubinda to suspend constitutional reforms until
the dialogue process to be led by ZCID was concluded.
But Mr Kakoma said President Lungu’s directive to stop all constitution reforms until the dialogue process was concluded would be inconsequential unless the dialogue process was led by the Commonwealth.
“There are two dialogue processes, one being led by the Commonwealth and the other ZCID. So which dialogue process is he referring to here?
“The UPND will not participate in the ZCID-led dialogue because it has no blessing from us, so they can do whatever they like but it won’t go anywhere,” he said.
President Lungu yesterday directed Mr Lubinda to suspend the constitution review process until the pending national dialogue process was concluded.
President Lungu said this was because some of the concerns raised in the Constitutional reforms, Public Order Act and other Bills could undermine the process.
According to PF secretary-general Davies Mwila, President Lungu said there was need by all stakeholders to point out concerns regarding the capacity of ZCID to oversee national dialogue.
Mr Mwila was speaking for the President after a closed door meeting with =&,' officials at the PF secretariat in Lusaka yesterday.
President Lungu said the PF would participate fully in the national dialogue without conditions, stating that it was not time to undermine ZCID’s capacity to hold the dialogue but to give it all the necessary support.
President Lungu has agreed to meet every stakeholder unconditionally whether some people have recognised him as President or not and every political actor was free to come on board.
Mr Lungu said ZCID had outlined on what they intended to do in terms of roadmap, and how they wanted to proceed with the process concerning national dialogue.
President Lungu said he was committed to participate in the dialogue which would be spearheaded by ZCID.
He said some of the issues that ZCID wanted to discuss were the electoral process, Public Order Act and the amendments to the current national Constitution.
³, haYe confidence in =&,' and the process will run smoothly and issues of ZCID’s capacity are issues we have to sit down to resolve so as a party we are ready to participate in the process,” said President Lungu.
And ZCID executive director Nathan Mulonga described the meeting with President Lungu as progressive.