Some facts about the Suspension of 30 PF MPs by Speaker of the National Assembly
- Why did the MPs protest in November 2021 on the floor of the house ?
Answer: An error was noticed on page 1 of the Yellow Book when debating Head 01 .
- What was the error ?
Answer: The mandate indicated for head 01 ( State House budget ) was erroneously drawn from Articles 33 and 34 of the Constitution of Zambia, Act No. 18 of 1996.
- Are the constitutional provisions referred to legally valid and applicable when preparing the yellow book ?
Answer : They are NOT because the Constitution of 1996 was replaced by the Constitution of 2016 through amendments and consequently, Articles 33 and 34 are no longer valid.
- Was it right for leader of Opposition to rise on a point of order highlighting the qouting of a wrong constitutional provision by the Minister of Finance ?
*Answer: Yes, he was right because proceeding to debate would have meant breaching the 2016 Constitution of Zambia.
- Did the Minister of Finance go back to correct the error noticed by the PF MPs after the Protest ?
Answer: Yes, the Minister changed the wording to read the correct provision NOT the wrong 1996 provision.
- Did the PF MPs protest again after the correction was done and budget estimates for State House brought back to Parliament for approval ?
Answer: No, we did not protest again.
- Did the PF vote in support of the budget estimates for State House after the correction?
Answer: YES, the MPs supported the estimates under head 01.
Christopher Kang’ombe
Kamfinsa MP
15.03.2022
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