UPND Members of Parliament on Friday morning walked out of Parliament in protest after the Public Order Act Amendment and the Electoral Process Act Amendment Bills were tabled leading to the suspension of business in the House.
The MPs challenged Speaker Patrick Matibini’s ruling that two Bills go to the third stage without being debated.
The UPND MPs contended that the action was not procedurally correct in the House, prompting the walk out.
Speaking on behalf of the MPs, UPND leader of the opposition in the House Jack Mwiimbu said the reason for the action was because of the unconstitutionality of the process owing to it being a product of the NDF.
“You may recall that this morning I raised a point of order over the Public Order Act Amendment Bill and the Electoral Process Act Amendment Bill regarding the unconstitutionality of the process that Parliament had undertaken which are a product of the National Dialogue Forum (NDF),” Mr Mwiimbu said.
Mr. Mwiimbu stated that the decision to present the two Bills before presenting the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill was unconstitutional.
He said failure to subject the Constitutional Amendment Bill, the Electoral Process Bill, the Public Order Bill and the Political Parties Bill to the First and Second reading to Parliament amounted to an assault of the Constitutional amendment processes.
The Monze Central lawmaker said the MPs from the opposition were not happy with unprocedural handling of the Bills in question by the Speaker of the National Assembly.
And UPND Elections Chairman Garry Nkombo stated that, being the custodian of the Standing Orders, the Speaker of the National Assembly was bound by them.
The Mazabuka Central lawmaker announced that the members of the opposition would be moving a substantive motion that would ensure the invocation of Article Number 62 on the Standing Orders that addresses challenging decisions of the Chair.
“We are going to move a substantive Motion, which motion is going to be directed to the Committee on Privileges, Absences and Support Services for determination on our position that Honourable Mr Speaker made an error in making that judgement today.
Nkombo warned that, of the decision by the Speaker was deliberate, then the UPND MP would have no option to conclude that “this institution continues to collaborate and connive with the Executive to bring Bills such as this one in a totally unprocedurally manner”.
What about Speaker, can’t be reshuffled in National interest as per Lungu’s signed constitution?
The bills will pass ba upnd. You think with your 50 something MPs you can stop anything sure. You walked out on the same constitution you are suddenly defending today. You went to the 2016 election with only one message: reject the constitution. Today the same constitution is genius. What flip flops
Bongo Bongo, the issue here is about following parliamentary procedure and not that nonsense you are blabbing about.
“Speaking on behalf of the MPs, UPND leader of the opposition in the House Jack Mwiimbu said the reason for the action was because of the unconstitutionality of the process owing to it being a product of the NDF.”
Is that the promised shoot down of the NDF resolutions?
Was the walk out proceedural?
That said, what has been achieved?
Has democracy been saved by that action alone?
******OK BE Honest*****
In any case if the NDF resolutions are trashed just like that, who suffers?
Edgar or PF? No… who then?
Let’s roll!!!
Some niggaz needs to mature up.
That’s the democracy we chose for ourselves.
That’s why I miss dictatorship way of doing things and Double K.
Protest is legitimate behaviour in a democracy. If the UPND MPs hv no right to do wht they did, let them be sanctioned. Trouble is we want to see law-making as point scoring against others. If the proposed changes to some pieces of legislation are progressive, then the PF parliamentary chief whip will see it fit to negotiate wth the other side. If he doesn’t see it that way, the PF will proceed to amend those laws alone.
What a messed up country. Glad my children ain’t part of it.
Another quantrain prediction as predicted Cabinet reshuffle.
Appoint Sakwiba Sikota as Speaker.
Matibini is a PF cadre. The whole system is rotten and compromised by Chagwa
A rotten country to the core. Upnd mp need to step it up a bit like South African mp and just bend that matibini behind and whip him like a little boy… anyway by way of updates me and my Swiss white wife are touring malta today. She is wearing very short skirt as it’s very warm. The perverted locals keep staring
You are annoying but funny at the same time.
Thats why we keep blocking him and ejecting him but he has nothing else to do in life. He keeps changing stage characters so that he hangs on
6am Zambian time he is already on on LT he doesn’t even know there’s time difference
Its either he is in mazabuka at Tootas
These are the people degrading upendi
Thanks . Upnd mps for being alert. Stay focused anf alert to avoid sneaking in of unchecked clauses and articles that will cause having and passing an amended bad constitution again. Please we are looking up to you to safe guard us from another constitution embarrassment
Typical of these UPND Chaps.!!
The walkout is something they have become experts at doing. When they are given the chances to participate, HH bullies them NOT to be part of it. And when PF says we are running a government and will not stand here waiting for your Under Five behaviours, they cry like babies.
++ In the mean time, HH will fly to South Africa to go and cry about Zambia before his sponsors. HH must learn to fight by using your MP’s, in Parliament.
You just wonder if HH is has qualities to be a ( Ward Chairman ) in any given compound and township of Zambia. UPND is not a Corporate Organisation or Company that he can bully all the time.
@Independent observer. You write like someone who stayed in school longer enough to learn how to spell. However your reasoning is that of a street cadre with limited or no capacity for analytical thinking. Look at the reason why they walked out…..you will thank them one day for stoping this master dribbler speaker in his tracks.
So in short you are in support of Matibini flouting parliamentary procedure?
PM 6.1 #
You dont walk out. What UPND must be doing to challenge/debate strongly against the whole PF Strategy to the point of proving that they are wrong – if all it is proved so.
This walkout does is from people failing to use their (+)Intellect, but (-) Emotions.
What is eating you inside ? You have just described yourself. You are THE STREET CADRE. The so called we know everything in UPND. Because you cannot reason with street cadres. They resort to tantrums now being shown by UPND MP’s
What does it prove to walk out when they have not got the numbers to stop it in parliament? The way forward is to fight and prove the Speaker wrong. UPND ARE FLIP-FLOPS & HISTORY HAS PROVED SO.
++ You guys have become jokers. You are failing to sell yourselves to ( In-Between…
Just because Mwimbu said it, it doesn’t mean he is right. Kudos if the walk out is procedural.
I told these PF niggaz also that let’s roll with current POA. I love it. UPNDEADs love it. Mwimbu loves it.
Y’all niggaz, we gotta roll!
Why waste time with niggaz who ain’t gonna compromise.
Ain’t tha way to run tha opposition! Opposing niggaz have failed, you feel me?
POA doesn’t address a woman and man toiling to make ends meet.
It by n’ large affects the HKs, double h, CKinsultors of this world. Playerz trash it, so drop it we see who it bites.
cont…
++ You guys have become jokers. You are failing to sell yourselves to ( In-Between People ) who can tilt and vote for HH. So when you come here and call me a Street Cadre, it proves the very thing that we have stated over and over on lusakatimes.
Your attitudes to sell HH to the people of Zambia so that they can come in large number to vote for him really SUCKS.
Sell HH by validating what you can do for Zambia and not name calling.
Enjoy the day
INDEPENDENT OBSERVER
PM @ 6.1 IS AN !DIOT AND A CADRE.
Anyone can see that your point is aimed about the bad habits of walking out from parliament by these MP’s, stooges of HH. Which we all know has happened so many times. But this cow called PM @ 6.1 is the one failing to see your points. Any way you have just lectured and undressed him. You are dealing with a lot of frustrated Tonga Bulls who are job seekers waiting for HH to be president.
If he can’t keep alliances. If he can’t use his MPs wisely, how the hell is he gonna govern the elite people of this land?
Upndead MPs must be answerable to their electorates not ailing and erring selfish double h. If it’s okay for upndead voters to see their representatives in parley behave in this manner then democracy is alive.
But like I said, Government can and will roll on. Who is this affecting citizens or the politician subset. They are obviously documenting talking points from ailing and erring – in fact – dead upndead.
Can you attend a wedding for a marriage you objected? Some reasoning is seriously flawed.
I think those condemning the MPs for walking out have not read the article; if you read, not understood it. It’s a matter of procedure. When you are dealing with PF, give it the way they deserve it. They thought introducing constitutionally illegal processes would give them what they want. Sorry, you won’t get it unless you you bulldoze your way
Tallmber Know Call!!!!
Matibini is a PF cadre, yes its true, his doing what his masters say.
INDEPENDENT OBSERVER@@@.
THAT IS THE WHOLE TRUTH YOU HAVE JUST STATED ABOVE. THIS IS THE TRUTH THAT UPND BLOGGERS DON’T LIKE TO SEE OR READ WHEN THEY COME TO ON LUSAKATIMES.COM
Its lazy thinking to label everyone UPND when PF is about butcher the Zambian constitution …have you even read what they have proposed…read the article on LT headed “A brief analysis of Zambia’s Constitutional Amendment Bill by the Southern Africa Litigation Centre”
lusakatimes.com/2019/07/20/a-brief-analysis-of-zambias-constitutional-amendment-bill-by-the-southern-africa-litigation-centre/
THE PROBLEM WHICH IS THERE IS THAT PF WANT TO RULE FOREVER AND EVER AND THE SAME BILLS WHICH THEY ARE PASSING WILL MAKING THEM PAY THERE EVIL. SERVING THE INTEREST OF CERTAIN PEOPLE LIKE ECL, SUNDAY CHANDA,ETC. MR. SPEAKER WHY DON’T WANT TO FOLLOW THE LAW? ARE U A CADRE ALSO? MATIBINI, U ARE A LAWYER BUT WHY DO U WANT TO RUIN ZAMBIA AT THE EXPENSE OF THOSE WHO ARE HIDING IN THIEVING. BE REAL BAMUNDALA. I HAD SOME MUCH RESPECT BEFORE YOU WERE A SPEAKER BUT NOW U ARE LET DOWN. BOSS, SIT AND REFLECT ON ALL THE ACTIONS YOU ARE TO TAKE. PF HAS TAKEN ZAMBIANS TO BE BIG FOOLS LIKE MMD DID. YOUR EXPIRY DATE WILL BE SO PAINFUL. THE LAW WON’T SPARE ANYONE
The trib.als seem to be right for a change, first time that they have done one correct thing in the history of their trib.al presence in parliament.
Now and this, time to fire the Speaker like Hon Mwanakatwe. I am sure the President can find someone suitable from LAZ since PF currently is full of dunderheads…….. the party is ..really laughable.
…I am not in any way suggesting that Trib.al Hacks and his trib.als are an option for Zambia. I have stated many times before that given a scale of 1 to 100 (bad to worst), if PF is at 20 then trib.al upnd is at 100 or over the scale …… a party of trib.al reds, very very obnoxious colour for a civilised or Christian party, represents pangas and blood letting …… ati opposition party, kuti walila…. really laughable.
Talk of a compromised speaker by one lungusha. This is total disaster. The speaker should know better that there are procedures in parliament to be followed. But when people see fast track desperation one wonders where we are heading to. Just how do people choose to be in a hurry and forget about procedures – rotten rat being smelled here!!!!
Disaster!!!
The culture of walking out of Parliament, evolving in UPND MPs, ordains the opposition party as a subset of Julius Malema’s EFF in South Africa. Childish games entails political immaturity that entertains the world.
Another one who has no clue what he is talking about…I bet you will say they should have sat and debated I mean how can you debate amendments from NDF you called illegal, just entertaining it gives it credibility. In RSA, there wouldn’t be NDF to start they are a young democracy but more progressives then you homohabilies.
*than you..
shame devils . the parliamental rules are straight forward whether in mojority or minority follow the procedures. hats of guys we are watching. wina a kaslila.
“The MPs challenged Speaker Patrick Matibini’s ruling that two Bills go to the third stage without being debated.” For once the UPND stood up for Zambia the right way. Now get back to work and less politicking.
Let’s be honest. If UPND were intestines, no one would ever have to take stool softeners to help regularity. THEIR WALKOUTS ARE EXTREMELY REGULAR!
………assault on the constitutional amendment procedures….my foot, what tort is that!!!! Can you sue?
Think about it, they are in parliament to make/amend laws but spend ALL their time walking out…..lock them out!
They have a leader who has never held a post of even a Monitor in a grade 2 class, what do you expect