Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Harare (Agenzia Fides)- “We call on the government to immediately start the process of enacting legislation to set up this constituent assembly”. This appeal was launched by the Catholic Bishops of Zambia in a pastoral statement “Give hope to our people” dated 16 November.
The bishops back the request of the majority of the people for the new Constitution to be adopted by a constituent assembly.
“To refuse to do so is to deny people that hope that life will be better. The refusal of the government to listen to the voice of the people is to quench that last, faint hope. If people have no hope of a better tomorrow then they have nothing more to live for.”.
The Bishops explain in these terms the importance of constitution revision: “A constitution is an important document which defines the rights and duties of government and citizens, allocates these powers, stipulates the manner of their exercise and limits them so that the liberties of the citizens may be preserved. Since a Constitution is the basic law of the land, it needs to go through the process of popularisation and legitimatisation”.
“Therefore” the statement continues “the people of Zambia should be the driving force behind the constitution. They know how they want to be governed; hence they should be accorded the chance to write their own constitution in a constituent assembly. Government is therefore morally bound to listen to the people of this nation.”.
The statement underlines certain modalities to advance on the path of constitutional reform : “The constitutional process needs to go forward. To stall this process now would be dangerous for the nation. This process needs to be governed by an atmosphere of compromise, healthy dissent and cooperation. With political will, we can achieve greater results. To compromise is not to admit defeat or to give up one’s values. It is a move to cooperate and engage in true dialogue in order to allow for better results.”.
The Bishops point to the path of dialogue: “Dialogue involves a courteous discussion with a view to reach or at least move closer to a consensus. This requires stakeholders to be open, to be ready to listen and to share positions that will see a better future”.
Peace is God’s gift to us as a nation. We the Archbishops and Bishops of the Catholic Church in Zambia remind the government of its duty to preserve peace by listening to the voice of the people. May God bless us” the Bishops conclude. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 16/11/2005 righe 38 parole 420)
