FR CHITI

By JOHNPAUL MPUNDU-
THE appointment of Edgar Lungu as Justice Minister has given a window of hope that a people-driven Constitution will finally be delivered, the Grand Coalition has said.
Grand Coalition chairperson Father Leonard Chiti said his organisation was hopeful that the newly-appointed minister would deliver the Constitution as he was open to the views of other people.
“We have seen a window of hope in the delivery of the people-driven Constitution in the newly-appointed Justice Minister,” Fr Chiti said.
He said while the Grand Coalition was sympathetic with former Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba, who was dismissed last week, the grouping considered him as a major stumbling block to the Constitution-making process and hoped his removal would put the process back in motion.
“I have personally had one or two encounters with the new Minister of Justice, particularly when we both met at the Lusaka Province Constitution convention early last year and I found him to be a very open-minded person,” Fr Chiti said.
“He argued his cases very well, sometimes he lost, he tried to present Government positions at the conference and when the Government was defeated he never stood up angry.”
The clergyman said the Grand Coalition was looking forward to see how Mr Lungu would drive the Constitution-making process and hoped the new minister would respect divergent views.
Fr Chiti said this when he and Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) chairperson Beatrice Grillo appeared on Muvi TV’s Assignment progamme on Sunday evening.
Ms Grillo said NGOCC was happy that Mr Kabimba had been dropped because he became a hindrance to the Constitution-making process.
“We are sorry that Mr Kabimba lost his job in that manner but then it makes us happy that the President realised that Mr Kabimba became a hindrance to the Constitution-making process,” she said.
Ms Grillo said although Mr Kabimba had done his part, he was not giving proper guidance to the Government on the Constitution-making process.
She wondered whether Mr Kabimba delivered the correct information to President Michael Sata because it was clear that he was the one who was controlling the Constitution-making process even though he often told the committee that he would talk to the President.