UPND REJECTS NDF BILL
…Vows to derail bill in Parliament because “the document is a sham”
WE will make sure that the National Dialogue Forum (NDF) Bill fails in Parliament because it is a sham of a document whose only aim is to serve the interest of the Patriotic Front, the UPND has vowed.
Speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, party spokesperson Charles Kakoma said the ruling party should have stricken a balance by agreeing with stakeholders on the process and modalities of the NDF so that once consensus was brokered, it would be easy to make the bill pass in Parliament.
Mr. Kakoma said not even the arrogance of numbers that the PF boasted in Parliament would save the situation because the Constitutional two-third majority vote provision was not attainable.
He said Government and its allies will only realise that the whole process was a sheer wastage of time and resources.
“The product of that sham NDF cannot be recognised by us and therefore, our role in Parliament is to reject that bill because it is a PF bill which lacks consensus and legitimacy.
It is representing the interest of the PF because no one in Zambia complained that we needed deputy ministers. They do not have two- thirds in Parliament demanded for by the Constitution and are not going to use the arrogance of numbers.
“For any other subsidiary legislation, they can use the arrogance of numbers but not on the Constitution and that is why they needed to carry everyone along and agree on the process so that when things are agreed, there is consensus. That will not pass. It was a sheer waste of time and money,” Mr. Kakoma said.
He said the UPND would not subscribe to what he termed as mediocre provisions such as the reintroduction of deputy ministers as though there was any identified lacuna in their absence in the Constitution.
The UPND and its opposition alliance partners boycotted the NDF although 17 of its Members of Parliament broke ranks and attended the forum held at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.