National dialogue bill goes through third reading
By Staff Reporter
THE National Dialogue Bill has passed third reading and now awaits Presidential assent after 91 MPs voted for the bill against 52 Parliamentarians that voted against.
And the debate, Mazabuka member of parliament Garry Nkombo said it was difficult to trust the Patriotic Front with its intention to hurriedly push the bill without broad consultations.
Justice Minister Given Lubinda tabled the National Dialogue Bill for third reading in the early hours of today.
This was after the bill passed the Second Reading and went through committee stage with amendments.
The number of members of Parliament who were in the house during the voting session was 146.
The bill provides for a forum to facilitate the amendment of the constitution, Public Order Act, Electoral Laws and Regulation of Political Parties.
Meanwhile, Chirundu UPND Member of Parliament Douglas Siakalima has opposed the legislating of the National Dialogue process.
He said that dialogue is a moral issue that just requires people to sit and discuss.
Siakalima said that Zambia already has enough laws to deal with political violence and there was no need to turn the dialogue process into law to curb the existing violence.
Nkombo reminded members of parliament that posterity would judge them harshly for making decisions that were not in the best interest of the country.
