By Merlyn Mwanza
Bowman Lusambo I won’t entertain you becoming unruly, Second deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Moyo warned the Kabushi member of parliament this afternoon.
And Lusambo referred to members of parliament from the ruling party as “bakolokombwa imwe”, after one ruling party parliamentarian who prefaced his contribution by asking if “the former bulldozer and former bootlicker” was in order to insinuate that some foreign heads of states invited for the summit have withdrawn because they have no confidence in the UPND administration.
Meanwhile, Transport minister Frank Tayali says there is no quick fix to the problems affecting the country.
Presiding over parliamentary debates, Deputy Speaker Moyo got irritated with the running commentaries that were going on in the house, and picking on Lusambo, the deputy speaker warned him to stop being unruly.
“Honourable Lusambo you are becoming unruly. I think I will not entertain you becoming unruly…I will let you leave the house. If you are trying to be unruly not with me,” Moyo warned over Lusambo’s running commentaries, but Lusambo was heard asking, “ine? Ine? (Me? Me?).” He ordered that transactions in the house must be transacted in an honorable manner.
Rising on a point of order, Chienge independent member of parliament Given Katuta said she was disappointed with the conduct of the male folk in the house, and wondered why the same kept on happening every time Moyo chaired the meetings.
Moyo in response said members of parliament were elected not to waste tax payers money.
Transport minister Tayali had given a ministerial statement that government had engaged stakeholders to reach at the increased bus fares following the increment in fuel prices.
But Shiwang’andu member of parliament Stephen Kampyongo said no amount of blame would help the UPND as people were looking to them for solutions.
He said while prices of goods kept going up, people’s salaries remained the same, and wondered what the UPND administration was doing to cushion the negative impact.
But Tayali said the government was monitoring the situation closely, saying it has been brought about due to fluctuations beyond government’s control and that “whenever there will be need” government would come in.
Pambashe member of parliament Ronald Chitotela said Zambians were bearing the consequences of increments in the transport sector which is eroding people’s disposable incomes.
Lunte member of parliament Mututwe Kafwaya asked why the government was failing to find immediate solutions but was at the same time “shielding corrupt ministers” in the UPND administration.
But Tayali said there was no quick fix to the mess which his government inherited as a result of what he said years of neglect occasioned on this country by the former PF administration.
He said the government was working to find long term solutions, claiming that sooner rather than later the citizens will realise that the administration means well.
Tayali challenged those asserting that there were corrupt ministers to report the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
But when Lusambo stood on apoint of order, just as he was starting to say that there was information that some head of states have withdrawn from the AU summit starting tomorrow as they have no confidence, a member of parliament from the ruling party stood on a point of order asking if Lusambo was in order to debate things which were not factual.
After a short back and forth period arguments, Lusambo was head saying that he had not even made his submission yet, and referred to those from the ruling party side as “imwe bakolokombwa.”
Ruling on the point of order raised against the usage of that term by Lusambo, Moyo asked him to stand withdraw the term as it was unparliamentary, saying if he argued a recording would be reviewed with severe consequences following.
Lusambo reluctantly stood up and reversed the usage of the term “bakolokombwa.”
Making his submission in full, Lusambo charged that five heads of states have withdrawn from the summit starting tomorrow because of the establishment of AFRICOM the UPND administration had consented to in the USA Embassy.
He said several hotel bookings have also been cancelled.
But Foreign Affairs minister Stanley Kakubo said the invitations were a preserve of the AU, and that all the heads of states coming have been sending their confirmations through the AU and not the Zambian government.
