By Bright Sonani
Parliament on Thursday May 22 passed a resolution that the Speaker of the National Assembly should act on Section 65 before the 2008/09 Budget is passed.
The resolution was passed after a one sided debate, which the government side did not and only lasted less than one hour, following a private member’s motion tabled by MCP Parliamentarian and Publicity Secretary Raspicious Dzanjalimodzi.
To say that there was madness in the House would be an understatement becuase while the opposition MPs, especially those from the MCP were busy debating the motion government Parliamentarian were on the other hand busy doing their own things.
The only intejection from the government side was when deputy Minister ofv Foreign Affairs Henri Mumba stood up to remind the House that the Section was still in court a fact which was instantly shot down by the opposition side.
At one time several MPs, Ministers and their deputies were seen walking freely in the House while MP for Zomba Yunus Mussa who is also a deputy Minister and Elock Maotcha also deputy minister and MP for were seen going around distributing drinking water to the members in the government.
The situation generated into total chaos on perpetrated by the government side forcing second deputy Speaker Jones Chingola to sent a stern warning to the government benches.
“This is my last warning to the government side or I will throw all of you out,” said Chingola.
However, the government side did not take heed of the warning they kept throwing jokes and laughing loudly.
The climax of the afternoon’s show was when Chingola threw out of the House deputy Minister of Irrigation Bintony Kutsaila after he switched on his radio phone and put it straight on the microphone to be heard through out the House.
In the motion Dzanjalimodzi said the proposal to have Section 65 dealt with was in line with the agreement that both sides of the House reached that after the 2007/08 was passed the issue of the Section was to be next on the agenda.
“Once the matter is rescusinated and the process is allowed to commence, it will facillitate the smooth and speedy consideration of the 2008/09 Budget and the other business in the House,” he said.
Dzanjalimodzi said the Speaker’s action on the Section would be based on the petitions which he already received.
He added: “It is important that the trust that may have been adversely affected by the lack of progress on Section 65 matters be restored, and this motion once approve and implemented will go a long way in improving the atmosphere in the House.”
As Dzanjalimodzi explained the motion the opposition kept jubilliating and mocking the government side which sat listening attentively while once in a while front benchers would exchange smiles.
The motion was seconded by UDF Zomba Changalume MP Leonard Mangulama.
However, the second deputy Speaker later stood his ground when he stopped the opposition to put forward a motion that the House should discuss a report on Katopola who has since been reininstated at the National Assembly.
As soon as the House sat Mangulama moved a motion to waive the day’s Order Paper which had 10 minister’s questions and Dzanjalimodzi’s private members’ motion and also that the House should discuss the issue of Katopola.
However, Chingola only allowed the House to discuss the issue of Section 65 but said the issue of the Clerk of Parliament was still in the hands of the Business Commitee and that the report from the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) has not yet been tabled in the House.
After the debate on Section 65 the opposition still wanted the Clerks issue to be brought forward however Chingola stood his ground and ruled that the issue will only be discussed on Thursday after the report has been circulated in the House.
Chingola thereafter announced that Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe would present his budget today.
In an interview MCP Parliamentary affairs Spokesperson Ishmael Chafukira said afte the resolution on the Section the House now expects the Speaker to act on the petitions he had received against those people who have crossed the floor.
On the government’s side thinking that the issue is still in court Chafukira said Section 65 was a political issue that could not be resolved through the courts but rather Parliament itself.
Leader of the House Henry Chimunthu Banda said government decided not to participate in the debate on Section 65 because as government side they had a position which they already made clear in the Business Committee meeting.
“The facts are clear on that issue and not wanting to take in the commotion that would have followed if we wanted to give the House our position,” he said.
