Tue, 13 Jun 2017 13:51:49 +0000
By SIMON MUNTEMBA AND BY CHITE MTONGA
THE PATRIOTIC Front (PF) says the recent failed attempt by the UPND Members of Parliament (MPs) to secure a High Court judgment to restrain the Speaker of the National Assembly from punishing them for boycotting the President’s address was a recipe for bad governance.
PF deputy spokesperson Frank Bwalya said that the action by the UPND law makers points to how they would compromise the principle of separation of powers should they form government.
And The Speaker of the National assembly should take stern action against members of Parliament who go against parliamentary rules during the next sitting of Parliament which resumes today, says Zambian ZDA spokesperson Spuki Mulemwa.
Recently, UPND MPs lost a bid against the speaker of National Assembly, Patrick Matibini, from taking action against their decision to shun President Edgar Lungu’s national address to Parliament. Lusaka High Court Judge Susan Wenjelani rejected an application for judicial review by 54 MPs on the grounds that they failed to convince her of an arguable case fit for further investigation.
And the PF deputy spokesperson charged that it was not farfetched to conclude that if UPND were in power they would have been putting pressure on the Judiciary to get judgments in their favour even in straight forward matters.
In a statement, Mr Bwalya stated that the action by UPND MPs exposed them for theu of who they are in terms of respecting the rule of law.
Mr Bwalya said that it baffling that the MPs went to court to secure a judgment to support their wrong doing which points to a serious lapse in the reasoning of the UPND lawmakers.
