By MILDRED KATONGO –
FORMER Ndola Mayor, Charles Chiwala has said President Edgar Lungu (above) has shamed the opposition and others who wanted to gain political mileage over the Constitution after he assented to the key amendments to the document.
Mr Chiwala said the Constitution was the only weapon President Lungu’s critics used to discredit him and that they are currently in disarray on what other issues to use to try and frustrate and discredit the Head of State.
He said the President deserved to be praised and supported for quickly assenting to the amended Constitution.
Mr Chiwala said Zambia would now be at par with the world’s developed countries because of the new-look Constitution, which contained imperative and progressive clauses, such as the 50 per cent plus one vote, the running mate and the dual citizenship.
“President Lungu and the PF Government should be hailed for finally giving Zambians the much needed people-driven Constitution, without any delays, the country has been given the best Constitution ever,” he said.
He also commended Mr Lungu for assenting to the Constitution Bill in which the decentralised system of governance was one of the clauses.
He said local authorities would now operate efficiently and independently in improving service delivery.
He said the councils would be making their own budgets from Government grants and their own resources, a move that would promote the performance of local authorities.
“The decentralised system, which is also in the amended Constitution is another plus. The system will help local authorities to operate efficiently than before. They will operate independently and make their own decisions to improve service delivery,” he said.