Wesley Miyanda deems proposed Speaker Nellie Kashumba Mutti impeachment as Brought-in-Dead case

PRESS STATEMENT

Monday, 6th November,2023

The proposed motion to impeach the Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Madam Nelly Mutti by some opposition and Independent Members of Parliament is but a B.I.D. and misplaced issue which can not easily go through. Infact, the issue in question is an academic exercise which is more theoretical than practical. The whole idea behind the said motion is to try and cause confusion in the House by Opposition lawmakers in their quest to turn the National Assembly into a battle zone.

The current Speaker of the National Assembly, Madam Nelly Mutti has been presiding over the Business of the House in unbiased manner and that’s why she has been voted and honoured by Common Wealth as the first best female Speaker of National Assembly globally. It should clearly be understood that Members of Parliament are elected by people in their respective Constituencies to represent them in the House to present and discuss issues affecting their lives as well as formulate laws to govern the country. It is sad to note that several times the business of the House has been disrupted by ever disgruntled opposition members of Parliament by raising Points of Order even where it’s not necessary and arguing over petty issues instead of doing the work they were voted for by electorates. The proposed motion of impeaching the Speaker of the National Assembly has come at the time when members of the opposition themselves are totally divided. We expect PF members to, firstly, concentrate on putting their house in order to rebrand the party and make it formidable just to ensure they remain relevant on the Political arena instead of trying to embarrass the Speaker of the National Assembly in that manner. The issue is quite unattainable, considering that the person they are talking of impeaching is not only the one in control of the House, but also someone enjoying the support from ruling Members of Parliament and some independent lawmakers who are the majority.

The National Assembly of Zambia is meant for progressive debates by Honourable Members of Parliament and not what’s currently obtaining whereby the House has been turned into a war zone between the opposition and ruling members of Parliament with no regard for the speaker of the National Assembly. The shoot of Lawmakers we have in the House now is not the first one and will never be the last. We have had Lawmakers before and many others are yet to come and do the work being done today. So we are appealing to all Lawmakers to serve us to the best of their abilities and leave indelible marks in their Political histories by debating issues of national importance responsibly.

Issued by

WESLEY MIYANDA

Governance Expert and Human Rights Advocate.

Wesley Miiyanda