PARLIAMENT HAS LARGELY CONTRIBUTED TO ZAMBIA’S CHALLENGES- HON MUNDUBILE
….says Presiding officers stopped MPs from advising Government on Export of Maize, Loadshedding, Mining…
Lusaka……….21st March, 2025 [Smart Eagles]
PF/Tonse Alliance National Parliamentary Affairs Chairman Hon. Brian Mundubile says Parliament has largely contributed to the challenges being faced in the country.
Hon Mundubile said this has been caused by the conduct of Presiding officers who stopped the MPs from debating on pertinent issues such as the High Cost of Living, Loadshedding, Fuel supply, Mining and Export of Maize among others.
He said just this week, Mpika MP Francis Kapyanga and his Nakonde Counterpart Luka Simumba were suspended for merely trying to do their work as parliamentarians.
Hon Mundubile who is also Mporokoso lawmaker said the country would not have been talking about high Cost of Living had Parliament allowed the MPs to debate.
He was speaking during the weekly media engagement in Lusaka today.
“There have been stories about export of maize, whenever MPs wanted to advise government against the export of the Maize, presiding officers stopped the MPs. Presiding officers were frustrating the works of the MPs to hold government accountable,” he said.
Hon Mundubile has also called for respect in the manner Presiding Officers in Parliament address MPs.
He said a presiding officer who lost a ward when tasked to campiagn should not disrespect members of Parliament.
“Parliament has been largely dysfunctional because of presiding officers. Presiding officers should mind the manner they address MPs, we do not expect the Presiding officers to tell MPs like they are telling their children. Such terms as sit down, ….. MPs represent a lot of people and should be allowed to speak. But we have a Parliament where presiding officers speak more than MPs.
Parley has got a structure but what we see is that partisan presiding officers who have gone to campaign and loses a ward,” he said.