DEPUTY SPEAKER MOSSES MOYO TREATS ME AS IF WE SHARED A GIRLFRIEND – BINWELL  MPUNDU

MOYO TREATS ME AS IF WE SHARED A GIRLFRIEND – MPUNDU

NKANA Independent MP Binwell Mpundu says people would think he once shared a girlfriend with Second Deputy Speaker Moses Moyo, considering how Moyo treats him in Parliament.

On Tuesday, Moyo reprimanded Mpundu and threatened to send him on a “holiday” for stating that Zambia should learn from Ghana in terms of solving its illegal gold mining problem.

Speaking when he featured on Diamond TV, Wednesday, Mpundu said he did not understand why he was being unfairly treated by Moyo, stating that the Second Deputy Speaker abused his powers.

Asked if he had a sour relationship with Moyo, Mpundu said, “I don’t even need to have [one]; others would want to think we shared a girlfriend, we’ve never had that relationship”.

“There are certain times when I have actually been stopped from debating. I have been often times ignored. When Speaker [Moses] Moyo is presiding, you need to know this, I would indicate to debate, the first to indicate, he will skip me until he passes on to the next item. I have never known Moyo until we came to Parliament. I don’t wish to know him, he has never fed me, [and] he has never given me anything. If he died today, I would mourn him but he would not change my life. We have a classic example of what happened yesterday (Tuesday), yesterday (Tuesday) is a clear case of how people would abuse power to abuse others because yesterday I was abused, I was undressed and insulted and this followed after Speaker Nelly Mutti almost also abused me, [and] in fact she abused me,” Mpundu lamented.

“Yesterday, I was almost suspended, are you aware? Did you see what happened yesterday that could have qualified the Speaker sending me out? What part of the debate yesterday would have justified the call for the Speaker to send me out? Is it because I mentioned that in the separation of powers, we are seeing, as an example, a Speaker goes to dance, didn’t you see Speaker Nelly Mutti dance in Parliament after Bill 7?

We do understand that Nelly Mutti is UPND, she used to be a UPND cadre, we do understand. We do understand madam Attractor Chisangano used to be a UPND cadre. We do understand that [Moses] Moyo used to be a UPND cadre but you see, when you are appointed or elected as Speaker, you take off that jacket of belonging to a political party. The Speaker is a referee who must play a neutral card, who must not show bias”.

Mpundu further said he was concerned that the presiding officers of the National Assembly did not understand their roles.

“The presiding officers have really, really messed Parliament and it’s not a Parliament that I would ever wish to go back to because of the abuse. I get to worry so much as to whether our presiding officers were oriented as what presiding means, let alone, if they understand what a debate is. I think that our speakers don’t understand what a debate is.

Often times, they’ll cut you short because they want you to provide evidence. Imagine walking with books or files of evidence every time you are walking into a debate. When you look at the independent members of parliament, there is only myself and Given Katuta who qualify to be independent, the rest are dining with the UPND, that is how come they were even able to vote for Bill 7, that is how come if [Misheck] Nyambose speaks, he’s always heaping praise on the UPND. Have you ever heard a member of parliament who has been suspended from the ruling side? Are you telling me they’ve never misbehaved?” asked Mpundu.

“I have more development than any other MP in this country. I have more tangible development in Nkana [constituency], on record, than three quarters of those who are singing praise. As an example, I can tell you, in Kitwe, there are five constituencies; I have 14.3 kilometres of tarred roads, which you’ll never find in the other constituencies.

The next constituency in Kitwe, out of the five, which has got some semblance of tarred roads, is Kwacha, where there is an MP for UPND but they only have 1.3 kilometres. On top of the 14.3 kilometres, I have 7.8 kilometres which is the first concrete road in the whole country, called Chibuluma road. I have done more developments in Nkana than all those who are singing praise. So it is not true to suggest that when you sing praise is when you are going to receive more development”.

Mpundu added that he would contest the August general elections as a presidential candidate.

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