APRM IN ZAMBIA

Posted August 12th, 2008 by Heather

APRM
Zambia

The civil society APRM consortium would like to commend the Justice Minister Hon. George Kunda for appointing the NGC and expressing government commitment to ensure that the process is implemented and adheres to the African Union guiding principles.

However, we observe with great concern that:

1. The appointed NGC is dominated by Government and its machinery. For instance, the appointed chairperson Mr. Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika is heading a quasi-government institution as well a member of the ruling MMD. He also chaired the National APRM Brainstorming Session. It is not clear what criteria were used by the Ministry to appoint him.

2. The monetary incentives provided for the members seem exorbitant and equivalent to the ongoing NCC motivation approach which has raised a lot of controversy in the country as posing a cost.

As Civil Society we are concerned that the APRM should not generate any extra costs to the country or compromise public confidence and raise unnecessary controversy which other ongoing processes have raised.

We wish to recall the National Brainstorming Session organized by the Ministry of Justice's resolution to adhere to the guiding principles of the APRM and its resolutions. The meeting resolved that the Zambian NGC should have 15-21 representative and that the chairperson of the NGC should be selected from among the selected NGC members and should not be from government but from the Private Sector and/or Civil Society to ensure independence.

We believe that in as much as the Ministry recognizes that the NGC is at liberty to constitute committees and retain consultants and experts, the council should be at liberty to appoint their own Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson as recommended during the Brainstorming session.

We feel there is need to reconsider the above issues if the APRM process in Zambia is to be considered credible.