SUSPENSION OF 30 PF MPS FROM PARLIAMENT IS AN AFFRONT TO THE COUNTRY’S DEMOCRACY- SAMUEL BANDA
.. . calls for sobriety in the house when it comes to parliamentary business
Wednesday… March 16 2022 (Smart Eagles)
Advocates for National Development and Democracy (ANDD) has decribed it as ‘an affront to democracy’, the suspension of 30 Patriotic Front members of parliament from the house for a period of 30 days.
Yesterday, 30 PF MPs were suspended from parliament for 30 days for breaching parliamentary privileges in accordance with section 22 of the powers and privileges Act.
In her ruling, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Attractor Chisangano, said this action has been taken in the wake of the behaviour the 30 MPs exhibited when they protested against the budget debate on head 101 in December last year, thereby disturbing parliamentary proceedings.
But ANDD executive director, Samuel Banda says the speaker’s ruling is questionable and should be interrogated further to avoid such parliamentary lapses in future.
He says in a statement that the country risks having a parliament that fails to honor and respect its mandate of being a place where laws are made.
“We think the ruling is overboard and requires a clear thought for posterity purposes” Mr Banda has noted.
He has further called for sobriety in the house when it comes to making critical decisions that border on matters that affect representation of constituencies.
He has wondered what the ruling entails for people in respective constituencies whose developmental trajectory depends on full representation by their members of parliament.
“We need to think of people being represented in parliament, what happens when elected members of parliament are absent during debates” he questioned.
