PRESS STATEMENT ON PROPOSED PUBLIC CONSULTATION FOR THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROCESS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

20 MAY 2025

Lusaka, Zambia

We at Chapter One Foundation and the Alliance for Community Action are deeply concerned by the absence of clear, accessible, and timely information on how public consultation will be conducted ahead of the release of the text of the constitutional amendment bill — which we expect to come out on 21st May according to the Minister of Justice’s statement to parliament. The Minister of Justice stated that there will be a period of public consultation for 30 days, from 21st May to 21st June. 

In this regard, Citizens need to know: 

  • How will Zambians be consulted, in practical terms? 
  • When, during the next 30 days, will Zambians be consulted?  
  • Where will Zambians be consulted? 
  • How will the government integrate submissions received in the next 30 days into the draft? 

Fellow citizens, as a foundational matter

  • Did the government ask you if their specific amendment proposals respond to your needs and priorities? 
  • Did the government ask you which issues are “not contentious” and which are “contentious”? 

When the draft is finally released, the government needs to define: 

  • What kinds of consultation opportunities will be offered? For example,  
  • Will there be community meetings? If there are community meetings, when will the schedule be published – in each province or district so people can attend? 
  • Will people be able to make written submissions? If so, to whom will they be sent? 
  • How will the government “accept” or “reject” public input on particular issues? 
  • How will the government inform Zambians about how their inputs were used?  
  • Will there be a report detailing the consultation process and what people said? 
  • It is important to note that in the government’s current timeline, there is no period for the draft amendment package to be revised based on public input.  
  • Given this lack of revision window, how will public input be used to revise or update the draft, if at all? 

In summary,our experience with this government shows that public consultations, in practice, have no bearing on the final content of laws and policies. Rather, it is used as a box-ticking exercise to rubber-stamp the government’s pre-existing priorities.  

But the constitution is different and should be treated differently. Unlike other laws, the constitution defines how our government is run and the rights and privileges of all Zambians. Therefore, Zambian voices must be heard. Zambians’ input must have weight in determining the content of the final bill. The process itself must be citizen-driven. It is because constitutional reform processes have been repeatedly government-driven that we are here again.  

The reason we are still amending the constitution is that previous governments have not adequately taken public opinion into account when designing amendment bills. Rather, successive governments have hijacked the process when public opinion conflicted with their interests. For the greater good of all Zambians, we call on this administration to ensure that this time is different. If the government continues to bulldoze this process, we will certainly be back here again. 

This statement is read by

Josiah Kolala

Executive Director

Chapter One Foundation

For and on behalf

Chapter One Foundation and

Alliance for Community Action

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