The Cost of Uneven Justice
As the process to amend the Constitution rumbles on several concerned individuals from among civil society and the opposition have questioned the seemingly uneven nature of justice under the PF and warned of its various consequences.
In the past week the Centre for Trade and Policy Development (CTPD) has once again raised the matter in which the ministers who kept their positions and salaries in the run up to the 2016 elections are yet to pay back what they owe. Three years after the Constitutional Court made its ruling on the matter, which was highly controversial at the time, CTPD Executive Director Isaac Mwaipopo has called for clarity as to why they have not returned the money.
‘The refusal by the Ministers to pay back the monies undermines the role of the Judiciary, its effectiveness and ultimately renders our courts and legal processes as academic,” Mwaipopo has stated.
The question is particularly poignant as the economy continues to struggle and the depreciation of the kwacha raises questions about how Government will fund the 2020 budget.
UPND MP for Chirunder Douglas Syakalima has warned that following depreciation against the US dollar and inflationary pressures the 2020 budget is empty. He further cautioned finance minister Dr Bwalya Ng’andu that a failure to recognise the current hardships would result in a “crash-landing before we take off.”
Meanwhile, NDC leader Chishima Kambwili has called on President Lungu to address allegations concerning his political advisor Kaizer Zulu. Kambwili questioned why Zulu appears to escape the law.
“Why arrest innocent people and youths in the streets when they fight and you charge them with assault? But here is a man assaulting people every time, has our constitution changed that some people who work for the President are above the law?” the former PF minister is quoted as stating.
Kambwili, along with his son, is facing charges relating to being in possession of property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
In making his concerns known Mwaipopo noted the importance of ensuring an end to the constitutional crisis facing the people. He stated that the lack of a durable Constitution acts as a deterrent for investors “who rely heavily on a sound and predictable legal system in order to protect their assets and investments.’’
