Africa-Press – Zambia. Zambia stands at a dangerous crossroads. Socialist Party President Dr Fred M’membe has issued a powerful and urgent warning to the nation: forcing Bill 7 through Parliament under illegal, coercive and undemocratic conditions will mark the birth of a constitutional dictatorship in Zambia.
Dr M’membe has cautioned that what is unfolding is not a normal legislative process, but a direct assault on the rule of law, the constitutional order, and the moral authority of the people.
He stresses that the danger is no longer about whether Bill 7 contains good or bad clauses. That debate has been overtaken by a far more serious crisis — the crime of imposing constitutional changes on a divided and unwilling nation, in defiance of a Constitutional Court order, and without genuine national consensus.
A constitution born from pressure, inducements, intimidation, illegality, and engineered compliance is not a people’s constitution. It becomes a tool of domination — a weapon turned against the very citizens it is meant to protect.
Dr M’membe warns that once this dangerous precedent is set, Zambia will no longer enjoy stable constitutional order.
“Today it is Bill 7. Tomorrow, it will be term limits. The day after, total executive capture,” he cautions.
He further notes that the government’s so-called public consultations were never meant to influence the outcome but to decorate a predetermined decision — transforming citizens into mere ceremonial participants in a staged democratic ritual. Such deception destroys trust, breeds instability, and dismantles social cohesion.
Dr M’membe has condemned the growing demonisation of dissent, where those who question Bill 7 are branded enemies of progress. He warns that this culture of suppressing opposing voices is the early training ground of authoritarian rule.
He reminds the government that legitimacy — not force — is the true currency of national leadership.
A coerced vote can never produce peace; intimidation can never produce unity.
In his stark caution, Dr M’membe states that Zambia is approaching a point of no return.
If Bill 7 is pushed through amid tension, illegality, and national anxiety, the country will enter a phase of constitutional instability whose consequences will be severe, long-lasting and unpredictable.
He urges the government to stop, reconsider, and re-engage the nation honestly before crossing this dangerous line.
“Peace is not preserved by silencing the people.
Unity is not protected by outvoting the nation.
A Constitution imposed is a Constitution already rejected.”
He concluded by warning that If the government chooses force over process, speed over legitimacy, and power over restraint, it must accept full responsibility for the social and political consequences that will surely follow.
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