JOIN DRIVERN TAXI AS PARTNER DRIVER TODAY!
Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini says business of the house is not dependant on police officers.
Dr. Matibini said some parliamentary business go outside the House.
The Speaker said this when he counseled the house in response to a point of order raised by PF Shiwang’andu MP Stephen Kapyongo .
“We don’t rely on police officers to run business of this House. You honorable members are pretty aware that some issues go outside parliamentary,” Dr. Matibini said.
The House was debating a private member bill raised by UPND Mazabuka Central MP Garry Nkombo who urged government on the Constitution roadmap and the way forward after subsequent submission of the draft constitution report to President Micheal Sata.
Last week, the opposition MPs disrupted parliamentary business prompting the Speaker to prematurely suspend business of the House.
This also prompted government to provide adequate security by deploying cops at parliament premises including in the chamber.
On March 7th, only a handful of police officers were present at parliament to maintain order and keep vigil.
He advised the MPs to debate the motion on the floor and desists from issuing insinuations because he had a long list of other MPs itching to debate.
“Honourable members, don’t seize this opportunity to debate on the motion on the floor. Use time very economical here because l have a long list of other members who want to speak,” the Speaker said.
And Dr. Matibini has urged the parliamentarians to be focused when debating in the House.
He observed that some MPs debated on falsehoods, debated themselves and other people outside the house thereby violating the rules of the House.
This prompted him to curtail all points of orders to allow the smooth deliberations in some sessions of the House. During the 30-minute Vice President’s question time session, the Speaker only allowed one point of order from UPND Mazabuka MOP Request Muntanga.
Meanwhile, most of the opposition law-makers today attended the full sessions of the House and sat on their respective seats.
