LUBINDA’S DECISION TO EXPEL MPS SHOWS HE’S FAILED TO UNITE PF – NYIRENDA
PF faction Deputy Secretary General Brenda Nyirenda says Given Lubinda’s decision to expel members of parliament who voted in favour of Bill 7 shows that he has failed to unite the party.
Nyirenda adds that Lubinda should have called for a central committee meeting and allowed the MPs to exculpate themselves.
On Thursday, Lubinda, who is PF faction acting president expelled PF members of parliament who voted in favour of Bill 7 on Monday last week.
Those from the PF believed to have voted for the Bill include Kanchibiya MP Sunday Chanda, Chitambo MP Remember Mutale, Kantanshi MP Anthony Mumba, Isoka MP Marjorie Nakaponda, Kamfinsa MP Christopher Kang’ombe, Lupososhi MP Musonda Mpankata, and Kasama Central MP Sibongile Mwamba, as well as other UPND-aligned PF MPs.
In an interview on Sunday, Nyirenda said the opposition Members of Parliament faced a lot of intimidation which influenced their votes for the Bill.
“As a leader, he is supposed to call those people and listen to them, what challenges did they have? This idea of just waking up and expelling people is not healthy, it shows that he has failed to unite the party. There’s a lot of pressure than what meets the eye, there’s a lot of pressure that MPs go through and what I would want to tell [you] is that there was a lot of pressure.
You can imagine if what we are hearing, where MPs were captured, quarantined [and] enticed, do you think people can be able to make the correct decision? That’s why for me, I can’t celebrate that win, it’s not a win because in there, there [were] threats, there is quarantine in there, there’s enticement, in there, there’s corruption. So, it’s not a Bill which has passed because it was supposed to pass, there was a lot of intimidation on the opposition members of parliament,” Nyirenda said.
Asked if she was in support of the expulsions, Nyirenda replied in the negative, adding that the decision was not procedural as no central committee meeting was convened to make the resolutions.
“I’m not for that idea, I know the members made a mistake but he never even had [a] chance to meet with the same members before the Bill was passed, how can you be giving instructions online and expect people to adhere?
The procedure is not being followed, if you are going to expel members of parliament, you need to have a central committee meeting and be able to charge them, ask them to exculpate themselves, that’s the only way you can know how to resolve issues but this idea of just waking up and acting out of….just because Michael Sata did that you think that the grace is the same, it’s not very good. I don’t support that,” said Nyirenda.
News Diggers
For whom is it kept clean and smart?
Are you aware that even some few members of the then opposition UPND supported Bill 10? And I am glad you are from the east where you say: chiwamina galu kuluma mbuzi. The President said Bill 7 debate is now over, let’s put it behind us and move on, we have a big task of developing our country. The issues of expulsions are party issues, just go to the convention and get fresh mandates and move on also. You can’t solve problems on social media when you have a Secretariat which is just loafing, why can’t you meet there and resolve your issues? Or you can find a neutral venue if other factions can’t allow you to be there. Chabinga mukali, kuti amitanfya.
There can be not unity between thieves.
Everyone is only looking out for their own interests.
In any case, who stopped you from trying to unite PF?
Just the idea that in this day and age a group of people, let alone a group of MPs, can be captured, driven to an airport and flown to God-knows-where, quarantined and forced to agree to vote in a certain fashion and paid $150000 each for, one would suppose, inconveniencing them and then finally flown back is just mind boggling. In the first place a group of adults would each have to be enticed to a certain location where they would then be herded like cattle into a bus.
Exactly my thoughts. Sometimes these politicians take the Zambian public for fools. How is it possible to bundle 35 grown up men and women on a plane from different locations and quarantine them (a serious case of kidnapping) and all 35 families donot report them to the police as missing?
The fact is the 35 MPs voted for Bill 7 after debating and ensuring critical adjustments here and there. They behaved like responsible, reliable people’s representatives. They refused to give in to political pressure from their immature leaders.
The suspension of the MPs by the Lubinda faction is in itself a reflection of an emotional response rather than a well thought out strategic move. It has further complicated matters for PF.
It is preposterous. It never happened but just fantasy and malice.
PF is a failed project.