15 MP’S FROM LUAPULA PROTEST AGAINST MINISTER’S “POVERTY OF MIND” REMARKS
By Fox Reporter
MEMBERS of Parliament from Luapula Province have protested to Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti against Education Minister Douglas Siakalima for suggesting that people from the region are poor because of poverty of the mind.
In a petition submitted to the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Luapula MPs are alleging hate speech against Siakalima who is also Chirundu UPND member of parliament.
The petition comes after Siakalima made derogatory comments against people of Luapula Province during a Committee on Education meeting on October 11, 2023.
During the meeting, chaired by Melesiana Phiri, the Minister was recorded making highly inflammatory and demeaning statements about the people of Luapula Province.
According to radio clips collected from the broadcast, he referred to the people of Luapula as suffering from both “poverty of the mind and poverty as a physical being,” as he repeated these remarks four times.
According to Members of Parliament from Luapula Province, they received numerous calls from their constituents who expressed deep disappointment for the insults and offense from Siakalima.
The MPs are now arguing that these inflammatory statements constitute hate speech against the inhabitants of Luapula Province.
They assert that the role of the government and its ministries should be to serve and uplift all citizens, striving to alleviate poverty levels rather than demeaning and maligning them based on their circumstances, which they may not be responsible for.
The petitioners are urging the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly to take decisive action against the Minister to address the negative effects caused by his remarks and to restore order, confidence, and decorum in the House.
The Speaker’s office is expected to review the petition and determine the appropriate actions to be taken in response to the concerns raised by the Luapula Province Members of Parliament.
