“Stop taking this House and the affairs of this State for granted” Hon. Kampyongo tells Minister of Agriculture
….as Speaker orders the unprepared, the not ready Minister Mtolo to give a Ministerial statement as scheduled……
Parliament News, 12th June, 2023
Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Nelly Mutti last week order Agriculture Minister Hon. Mtolo Phiri to render a Ministerial statement as Scheduled.
However, to the surprise of the house and over 15 million viewers and listeners to Parliament TV/Radio worldwide, the Minister rose to inform the Speaker that he was not prepared and requested that the session to deliver the ministerial statement be withdrawn.
“Madam speaker we had sent a note to withdraw and therefore I did not come prepared for it today, I Thankyou” said the Minister
But the Shiwang’andu Lawmaker Hon. Stephen Kampyongo objected to the Minister’s response and it was a breach of parliamentary rules and procedures.
“Madam speaker, on a serious procedural point of order, the communication between the Executive and your office is very clear and well established! Is the Honorable Minister of Agriculture who was scheduled today for this important task and the business committee also scheduled and confirmed all the business of the house today in order to come to the house with such impunity such disrespect to your office and the entire institution only to say he is not ready to render a Ministerial statement? And without giving prior notice because notice cannot be given on the floor of this house. That notice was supposed to be given before the commencement of business of the house”
“And if the our colleagues are not ready to continue managing the affairs of the state they must state so because they taking this house for granted” said Hon. Kampyongo
And the Speaker, reminded the Minister of the house procedures and she ordered him to deliver the scheduled Ministerial Statement.
“Honorable Minister of Agriculture according to item number five (5) in the order paper, you are supposed to deliver a Ministerial Statement this notice was given to us and I saw the statement myself and approved and that’s why it’s on the order paper. The notice withdrawing has not been received so please Honorable Minister can we have the Ministerial Statement!” Said the Speaker