Executive Summary
First, Civil Society in Zambia acknowledges that good governance is a socio-economic and political process and, by its very nature can have substantial fiscal implications. Civil Society is mindful of the fact that since emergent democracies like Zambia are trapped in a self-impoverishing international debt, the demands on fiscal resources can induce government behaviours that negate the enjoyment of human rights – basic, civil and political, and socio-economic rights.
Second, Civil Society affirms that in Zambia, redress of the most critical derogations to the Zambian people's assertion of democratic governance is not wholly a question of fiscal resources, but the lack of political will and perpetuation of political hegemony.
To argue our case, we here, outline the most critical and priority areas of good governance that the Government needs to redress, and which do not have (comparatively) substantial fiscal limitations.
These are:
- Review of the Constitution of Zambia. The Zambian constitution is still not an acceptable instrument of good governance and political conflict resolution. A constitution must allow the people ownership of the fundamental law of the land.
- Domestication of international human rights instruments ratified by Zambia.
- Review of the Bill of Rights to provide for only minimal derogations, and all other laws where archaic and discriminatory provisions occur.
- The cessation of toleration of human rights violations. Perpetrators must be held accountable and impunity must have punitive and preventive measures, and; compensations for victims of human rights violations should be accorded.
- Control of abuse of the exercise of public authority. Individuals that abuse public authority should not be allowed to continue holding public office.
- Enforce of provisions of equity in the electoral process, so as to foster legitimacy of whosoever is elected, and provide for the enjoyment of the right to political choice by every citizen.
- Redress exclusivity attitudes in government appointments, hate or sectarian attitudes from persons holding public office.
- Affirmation that widespread poverty is a product of human rights deprivation.
- Enacting of a Freedom of Information Act to provide access to public information.
Further Civil Society, recognises the need for a well-founded and well-intentioned partnership between the Zambian government and Donor Community.
The dialectics of foreign policy diplomacy should never promote a culture of impunity and the breakdown of democratic governance. A violation of human rights – basic, civil and political, and socio-economic - is a violation, irrespective of the scale at which such violation has occurred.
The Donor attitude with respect to good governance in Zambia should reorientate itself to that which asserts the universality and inviolability of human rights, in recognition that poverty reduction will be meaningless if human rights violations are excused.
Therefore, Civil Society urges Donors to assert to the government of Zambia, the recognition that the priority political governance questions are not critically limited by fiscal constraints, but political will and perpetuation of political hegemony.
In conclusion, at this year's Consultative Group meeting, we affirm that:
- Support to the government should be contingent on the immediate implementation of the priority concerns outlined above.
- Donors should not exhibit foreign policy behaviours that perpetuate a culture of impunity.
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