A retired Professional designer has called on the NCC to consider upholding the constitutional clause that provides for expelled members of parliament to maintain their parliamentary seats as independents unless they join another political party.
Mr George Daka, who is partially blind now, told ZANIS that when a political party decides to expel a member of parliament, it should not affect such a member’s status in parliament unless he decides to switch to another political party.
He said the clause would help in saving financial and material resources that were spent on by-elections to be used for developmental purposes and programmes.
Mr Daka said though elections were one avenue through which political party cadres make money during the process of electioneering and political party campaigns, the exercise of such resource draining activities should remain predictable and well planned for.
He observed that by-elections should be constitutionally forbidden unless in circumstances where a member of parliament chooses to cross the floor which should also be deliberately made unpopular because there was no way a normal person would agree with a political party values at election time and two or three years later change his mind.
Mr Daka sid political party ideologies must be clear in conviction and practice so that there should be no one behaving like a chameleon at election time and once in parliament elects to behave differently.
He said political party leaders and members should emulate the example of Dr Kenneth Kaunda who has remained with UNIP in both good and bad times because of his belief in the values and convictions on which the party was founded.
He said in many cases, by-elections were caused by what he termed as ‘political opportunists’ who were unprincipled and in search of a parliamentary seat at all cost regardless of what was on the way.
The designer called for principled politicians to take up parliamentary challenges at election time so that government did not waste developmental resources on unplanned for elections before they were due.
Mr Daka said the constitutional provision was a progressive one and should help the country to have clearly planned election times which should help people to compete on a favourable platform.
He further proposed that in an event of the death of a member of parliament, a sending political party should choose one among themselves who should replace a member because the party ideology and beliefs should be the same.
ZANIS/ENDS/CN/CMM/EB.
It is the people who should decide.
This is a definite no no no.
This is crap from Mr George Daka. I know that he is partially blind, but that does not affect his thinking. Politics are run by rules and rules should not be adjust to suit the obtaining situation all the time.
iwe striper
but thats what law is all about
why do you think they always review constitution evrytime the new govt comes in power in zambia
I dont agree with Mr. Daka, If a person is indisciple and has been displined by the party if he is expelled he should cease to be an MP. But then if they want to save money let that seat be given to someone else in that particular polictical party. By so doing people wil behave and will bring forth the will of the people they represent. When is vote for an mp one bears in mind he is voting for the party too which that person is in agreement with. This is working in South Africa and Bostwana and we are seeing progress there. thats what we need.
Ifi fya bupuba! MPs shud respect their party leaders that put them where they are. I wud support a situation expels an indisciplined and replace him with another one from the same party. This will be cost effective and halt ‘prostitution’ and MPs riding on parties backs and later abandoning the sponsoring party.
That would make Chibomba fimo fimo and Shika happy…..
This suggestions is a principal recipe for lawlessness
Ba Daka’s ideas are very ancient. Please NCC don’t entertain 18th Century ideas. Zambians lack understanding of party politics. What Zambia needs a strong provincial governments with vibrant provincial legislative assembly like USA, Canada, China, India, Australia, Argentina etc. and not incompetent PSs and Deputy Ministers
Impressive and I agree except for the case of a dead MP. People in a constituency must always chose their leaders.