ZAMBIANS ARE WORRIED THAT THEY VOTED FOR JOKERS – CHILANGWA
By Walusungu Lundu ( The Mast )
KAWAMBWA MP Nixon Chilangwa has fumed after home affairs minister Jack Mwimbu referred to him as stupor in Parliament.
This followed Chilangwa’s insinuation that Zambians are worried that they voted for jokers.
He said yesterday when he rose an “urgent matter of public importance” that “the country woke up to a screaming headline attributed to his excellence the President of the Republic of Zambia where he said that they are jokers. Madam speaker, jokers are people who are not serious and anybody who will take them serious will be disappointed,” he said.
“Madam speaker, this particular issue is or was supposed to be directed to her honour the Vice president if the Zambians must now believe that yes indeed, the UPND government are jokers who must never be taken seriously. That is 750 million worth of suggilite has gone missing at the police station, that is why an issue that is not addressed to his excellence the President is answering it instead of those who were addressed in this particular matter.”
He however asked if government was in order to continue “telling the Zambians that they are not serious and that the Zambians must not take our colleagues and the President seriously because they are jokers? Because Zambians are worried that they voted for jokers.”
Chilangwa’s sentiments attracted a point of order from princes Kasune, the UPND chief whip who expressed displeasure with the lawmaker’s “politicking.”
“…the members on the opposite side who are in opposition to try and use this time politicking. According to standing order 65 madam speaker it is clear and you have guided. So I don’t think it is right that we proceed in this fashion…because the issues they are raising are simply politicking, strictly political and we need to do serious business in this house. So madam speaker, with your discretion, maybe we move to the next item because this is not a place to politick but do serious business. I need your serious ruling madam speaker,” she said.
The speaker however said lawmakers were not moving in the right direction and were wasting people’s time.
“We know deep down that this is not a matter of urgent public importance but we stand up and continue with it,” she said.
And rising on a point of order, Mwimbu was displeased with Chilangwa in how he came out regarding the suggilite matter.
“Hon Chilangwa in his purported matter of urgent nature did indicate that suggilite in Kabwe is missing and he attempted to produce a newspaper to show that suggilite in Kabwe is missing. Is he in order to indicate, which is a subject court proceeds in Kabwe is missing yet that suggilite in Kabwe is under lock and key in the provincial joint security committee secured it yesterday in public domain…,” he said.
“Madam speaker, the point I am making is that the suggilite was transferred from a truck to a secure container in Kabwe and its available and verifiable. Is he in order under a stupor to start making insinuations that sugilite is missing in Kabwe, contrary to the provisions of standing order 652?”
This prompted the “angry” Kawambwa lawmaker to rise on a point of order saying he couldn’t accept to be referred to in a manner that the minister did.
“In his submissions, honourabe minister of home affairs referred to me that when I rose on my issue I rose in a stupor, meaning that I am drunk. Is he able to prove that? What type of nonsense is this? I can’t accept this,” he said.
“Is honourable Jack Mwimbu in order to refer to me in that fashion?”
The speaker however guided that “our rules are that you cannot raise a point of order on another point of order. Kindly find a better way, you can write a complaint to the office of the speaker because we cannot admit a point of order on another point of order.”