Nelly, please, don’t curtail debates

By Daily Revelation Reporter

There have been growing complaints over the manner Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti and her deputies, especially Moses Moyo, have been going about conducting the business of the house.

Opposition members of parliament have especially complained that they have not been allowed to freely ask questions, raise point of orders and debate freely as Nelly has been curtailing their debates.

This has on several occasions seen tempers boil over, as usually happens when humans’ beings feel a sense of injustice being committed against them or their speech being curtailed.

Of course the country has witnessed similar complaints in the past when other speakers have presided and the current ruling parties were in the opposition.

UPND members of parliament for instance used to complain about how speaker Matibini conducted and ruled over matters, which were seen to be favourable to those in the executive, the PF. The sense of injustice against Matibini reached fever high the time several UPND members of parliament were suspended from the house over the presidential speech. Matibini was at one point even shamed when the court ruled against him for declaring Chishimba Kambwili’s seat vacant.

It seems Nelly may just be walking on the same path as her predecessors have, especially the most recent one. However, such should not be entertained especially in a country where inhabitants effected one of the most overwhelming government changes. People expect that there will be a change in the manner state institutions operate when they change administrations, and not the continuation of the same past misdeeds.

Anyone who has followed parliament will agree that Nelly’s conduct leaves much to be desired.

Her role should be to oversee free debate in the house, where those in the opposition are allowed to raise issues liberally and those in the administration respond to them. It should not appear like the speaker is trying to shield those in the administration from responding to certain hot button issues, or like the speaker has become the de facto leader of government business.

We are at a loss for instance to understand why Nelly curtailed the debate from Kamfinsa member of parliament Christopher Kang’ombe, because much as she seemed to have her own pre-determined position, she should have allowed him to finish his question so that the public could benefit from his line of thought. However, by responding in the manner she did, one could be made to believe that she was determined to bring everyone to her line of thought and therefore she would not allow anyone to waste her time in doing that.

There are many occasions on which the public has lost out on precious information simply because their representatives in parliament were curtailed from bringing out matters that would have benefited society.

This is why we continue to argue that speakers and chief justices for instances must be truly independent of the executive. You cannot have two arms of government swearing loyalties to another as that in itself comprises their independence.

This is one important matter that should be looked into when the opportunity will come for the nation to start to re-look into the constitution. Otherwise, the country will continue going in circles where those in the opposition will continue, with some justification, feeling that things are stacked against them by the ‘ruling’ party speakers.

Members of parliament are representatives of the people. Please make their work in the house as unhindered as possible for the benefit of society.