I WAS WRONG TO CALL UPND MEMBERS HOOLIGANS, ADMITS KAPYANGA

I WAS WRONG TO CALL UPND MEMBERS HOOLIGANS, ADMITS KAPYANGA

MPIKA PF MP Francis Kapyanga says he has reflected following his seven-day suspension from the House and realised that the word ‘hooligans’ was not parliamentary.

He has, however, urged the Speaker of the National Assembly to also act on points of order raised by opposition members.

The Mpika lawmaker was on Tuesday suspended for seven days by Second Deputy Speaker Moses Moyo for using unparliamentary language.

Kapyanga’s suspension came after Mitete MP Misheck Mutelo raised a point of order against him for calling UPND members ‘hooligans’.

This is the second time he has been suspended in this sitting, as on September 17, he was suspended for two weeks for contempt of the House.

Reacting to this in an interview, Wednesday, Kapyanga said he did not feel targeted, as he felt the Speaker was just doing his job.

He urged the Speaker to also act on the points of order raised by opposition members.

“Well, I don’t feel targeted. I just feel that maybe the Speaker should also attend to our points of order and complaints against the members on the right. Because we’ve complained a lot of times against our fellow members on the right. It’s not a secret that most of these suspensions are just on the opposition side. But I don’t feel targeted, I feel the Speaker was just doing his job,” he said.

“The only issue I want is that also our complaints must be attended to whenever we complain, even our points of order should also be attended to in the same fashion as when those on the right complain against certain figures within the opposition rank in Parliament. The enforcement of the Standing Orders must be fairly applied to both sides”.

On the use of the word ‘hooligans’ in the House, Kapyanga said, “I have reflected and realised the word ‘hooligans’ was not parliamentary”.

Kapyanga further said he used the word ‘hooligans’ because he felt he wasn’t protected against attacks from members on the right, but admitted his reaction was wrong as a leader.

“Even when I used that word, it’s because I was being harassed whilst debating, being attacked, being insulted. [But] even when you complain against such or a point of order is raised against such, the perpetrators will just go scot-free. And that’s their fashion. You know, in the House there are those exchanges of words, but it has always been a joking way. Unlike where someone targets you like they are attacking you and uses unpalatables against you. If you checked, it was during debate, and I asked the Speaker to protect me. But of course, being a leader, it’s not right not to accept a wrong,” said Kapyanga.

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