UPND MPs apology not enough, says PF

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 08:50:34 +0000

By Aaron Chiyanzo

WE expect stiffer punishment against United Party for National Development (UPND) Members of Parliament (MPs) who shunned the opening of Parliament by President Edgar Lungu than just an apology, Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Davis Mwila has charged.

Mr Mwila said that it was a good thing that the UPND MPs had apologised for boycotting the opening of Parliament last September but that there was still need for the Speaker of the National Assembly to punish them accordingly.

He reiterated that the public apology in Parliament should be a wake-up call for the MPs not to shun such an important function in the future.

Mr Mwila explained that State functions such as the official opening of Parliament were important because they outlined the programme on how the electorate would be served.

“UPND MPs have to learn a lesson; such functions are important because they outline the programme on how the electorate would be served. So there is no way any MP can shun such an important occasion in future. We even expect much stiffer punishment than just an apology,” he said.

Mr Mwila also said that the UPND should accept that President Lungu was elected by the people and that there was already a Head of State in State House.

He pointed out that there would always be an official opening of Parliament by the Head of State and that once open, all MPs were part and parcel of it.