Parliament and UPND

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 10:52:27 +0000

SPEAKER of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini cracked the whip yesterday on 48 opposition UPND Members of Parliament, suspending them for one month from the business of the House, for disrespecting President Edgar Lungu.
And the Speaker has found a prima facie case against UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema for making disparaging remarks against the Speaker that he was behaving like a PF cadre. In a rare development, the Speaker has referred the case to Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja to investigate and if found with a case, ask Attorney General Likando Kalaluka to prosecute the matter.
This is a damning indictment against UPND and its leadership which puts the opposition party in an extremely awkward position.
Although some people might feel the Speaker’s ruling against the 48 MPs was slap on the wrist, considering the gravity of their offence, the punishment sends a strong message to the UPND members that the honeymoon is over and they must toe the line or face severe consequences in the future.
We knew all along that the tug of war between the UPND and the Presidency over the outcome of the 2016 presidential election would end very badly for the opposition party. Events of the last two months point to the fact that the power struggle has diminished the political standing of the largest opposition party in Zambia.
It will take a long time for UPND to recover and find their political balance again. And yet they only have themselves to blame.
On 30th September, 2016, the Speaker strongly admonished the UPND parliamentarians for boycotting the official opening of Parliament by the republican President and ordered them to apologise. This mass stay away was done deliberately to embarrass the President in breach of the Parliamentary Standing Orders 151.
The MPs then apologised unreservedly and promised to respect the rules of the House. Sadly on March 17, 2017, when President Lungu delivered the State of the Nation address to Parliament, the MPs again did not attend the event, claiming they were advancing the cause of their court petition against the re-election of President Lungu in the 2016 presidential election.
It was clear from the outset that the UPND MPs were challenging the authority of the Speaker and yesterday they got their wages.
We agree with the Speaker that the MPs have committed a grave act of disrespect against the Head of State and Parliament as the two most outstanding symbols of our sovereignty and statehood. No civil offence can surpass it, especially when it is committed in pursuit of a political goal.
It is surprising that the MPs agreed to take oath before a President they did not recognise and performed their duties as lawmakers in a Parliament opened by an institution they did not recognise.
This double-faced attitude could only be construed to be a selfish way of benefitting from Parliament while at the same time rejecting to honour the head of that institution.
It was sad to see such ‘‘honourable’’ men and women take what the Speaker called ‘‘a walk of shame’’ down the aisle of the House, looking like a punch of schoolboys and girls leaving the office of the headmaster after being sjamboked for truancy or noise-making. We hope it will be the second and last.
Parliament, as an august assembly, is anchored on honour, decorum and dignity. That is why those few privileged men and women elected randomly by citizens to represent them in that assembly are referred to as ‘‘honourable Members of Parliament’’.
They are supposed to protect the constitutional values, tradition, principles and powers of that institution which makes the laws of this country, has oversight over the administration of the State and its members represent each and every citizen in the four corners of the republic.
The UPND MPs must learn to play by the rules and recognise that President Lungu is the head of Parliament and the first elected Member of Parliament. They owe their seats and privileges to him. Without him there will be no Parliament and no Member of Parliament.