By NATION REPORTER
PARLIAMENT yesterday voted to pass the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bills after its own committee had rejected the two proposed laws as having fallen far below the threshold to be assented into law.
Opposition MPs put up a determined debate to prevent the bills from passing the second reading but were out-numbered by the front bench that ensured the proposed laws that had previously been widely rejected but brought back into the House were passed.
Opposition Members of Parliament rejected the Bills stating that the procedure of bringing back the proposed laws had breached constitutional provisions after having been deferred four months ago, after it was rejected by the parliamentary committee.
When it was time to read it for the second time, a division was called prompting Speaker Nelly Mutti to call for voting.
Those for the Cyber Security Bill were 59 and those against it were 30 and so the Bill was eventually read for the second time.
Contributing to the debate, Davies Chisopa the PF Mkushi South MP said the UPND government had committed the worst illegality ever by bringing back into Parliament a proposed law that had been roundly rejected by Zambians but was being forced on the throats of citizens at the behest of a governing party he said was outgoing.
Mr Chisopa said it was a sad day for him in Parliament that UPND, despite being on the path of exiting from power could still bring to Parliament Bills aimed at stifling people’s freedoms.
“Today is a very sad day and UPND is remaining with few months and they will be going. It is an illegal Bill unless this government has come up with another way of coming up with another way of coming up with laws. There is no position of the Committee and it is only the Minister who has told us that they consulted. Where did you do your consultation? In your office?
“This is an illegality but don’t bring bad things here. The UPND government cannot be trusted. They are misleading people. This Bill does not meet the threshold to be made into law. There is absolutely no reason why UPND should continue misleading Zambians. We can’t be supporting deception. Deception is bad, it is poison,” Mr Kafwaya said.
Christopher Kang’ombe the Kamfinsa PF MP described the proposed laws as very dangerous as any law enforcement agency could use them to infringe on people’s individual rights such as phone tapping.
Lumezi Independent MP Munir Zulu called for the withdrawal of the two Bills.
Science and Technology Minister Felix Mutati said the fears about the Cyber Security Bill were unfounded. “This is the Bill for Zambians to protect them from bullying on the cyber space. We did not abrogate any procedure by deferring the Bill and bringing it back. So let us not allow comedy when your own members are victims of cyber bullying. We are doing this for you the people of Zambia,” Mr Mutati said.
Mutotwe Kafwaya, the PF Lunte MP said there was no committee which had scrutinized the Bill after having being deferred, stating that it was deception, hoodwinking and scamming Zambians.
Jack Mwiimbu the Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister said government had heard the “concerns, the complaints, lamentations and the bitterness of the opposition.”
“In 2027, we will be coming back here to make recommendations on the bill and they will continue with their lamentations and in Lunte we will have an MP. We listened to the concerns of the stakeholders and the committee and deferred the Bills,” Mr Mwiiimbu said.
