In Parliament yesterday Monze Central Member of Parliament (MP) Jack Mwiimbu (UPND) asked whether Justice Minister George Kunda was in order to keep quiet when ministers of Information and Foreign Affairs, Ronnie Shikapwasha and Kabinga Pande, respectively, had allegedly misinformed the nation over the raging parallel vote tabulation (PVT) debate.
Speaker of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa,who pointed out that he did not wish to usurp the powers of the Executive said: “This debate or debates on PVT is raging outside the House and indeed this House can claim a certain amount of interest in the matter in the sense that this House enacted the Constitution of Zambia and, among the creatures of the Constitution, is an authority known as ECZ.
“The Constitution assigned to ECZ powers and functions to carry out presidential, parliamentary and local government elections and once Parliament, through the Constitution, has assigned ECZ such powers, the House expects ECZ to discharge its functions and powers.”
Mr Mwanamwambwa said the matter at hand was of great magnitude but it would not help the House if he ruled definitely on it because there was no motion for the House to debate and vote.
The Speaker, however, advised MPs who wished to enter the fray of the public to do so freely, advising that they should be factual in their arguments.
“I will not muzzle anyone of you from expressing your opinions outside, join. There are lawyers here and I expect you to assist over this matter.
“I don’t want to enter into functions of the Government but those of you who have been members of the foreign service know the dos and don’ts in that diplomats in countries which they are accredited to are supposed to observe the laws,” Mr Mwanamwambwa said.
He said the protocols and etiquette befitting foreign envoys started as way back as 1848.
{Source -times of Zambia}
Mwanamwambwa has outlived his usefulness and is now a pure MMD cadre,like jason Mfula he must go this year.The boy is ever siding with imoral selfish people who are sick in their minds. Like Long Nose he is ever threatening people with arrests.
Pabwato and Sata come 2011.
Rubbish. We can already see what your stance is.
Am sorry but…um….eh..don’t these two guys look like Bevis and Butthead? I am just saying….
#1 and 2 have you even read the article or you were just quick to insult. here is a quote from the article incase you didn’t read and tell me whats so rubbish about it
I will not muzzle anyone of you from expressing your opinions outside, join. There are lawyers here and I expect you to assist over this matter
ECZ is act of parliament while th other rubbish is act of mmembe and his tandem of NGOs. ma rubbish yekayeka and govt will not allow disgruntled briefcase politicians sneak in their own kangaroo voter tubulation mapuli
How can a disgraced person, expressing retrogressive and biased views against the people continue to hold a distinguished position in that august house? Yes, Mwanamwambwa’s value to this house is less than zero. How could he not see sense from what honorble Mwimbu was saying? This MMD cadre is not even fit to see the pavements on that august house where men of intergrity should be found to guide parliamentarians to enact laws that serve interests of Zmbians and sage guards the future of un born children. The behaviour of this speaker nowadays is not any better than that of william banda, band is pysical but mwanamwambwa causes assaaults to our ears every time he makes a rulling againt the people in favour of his minion- the MMD
#5 Mwanamwamba has a lot of skeletons in his closet, so he cannot go against MMD. In 2001 he failed to convene parliament to avoid the impeachment of Chiluba. Reason? Chiluba had a lot of data on this outlived speaker such as collecting money for landscaping the parliament grounds- a job which was not done.
It seems this system has not been understood by most zambians. In the past, radio stations have announced election results immediately a returning officer declares the winner. No one has ever complained. All PVT will achieve is to place an urgent in each polling station, who will send the results to a national centre immediately they have been declared by an returning officer.
This is to remove doubt, especially from the rural districts where there are no polling agents. With this system, there will be agents in all polling stations. So, what is the Govt worried about? As someone has pointed out, it is just that someone has given the system a name and suddenly, This is the boogeyman. Grow up people, and let us discuss more important things. This whole episode stinks of the Kabwela saga
Sata has always been there what is new that he is going to bring when his brain has already retired from active thinking.He refused to talk to HH.The PACT is dead now he he says its intact.It shows how far his brain can go.I am tired of recycled politicians,old brains, retired minds and grave bound hearts
I concur with #5 Shazza. Put it legally, ECZ is the Authority. Americans, Sata and Mmembe are trying to push sh.it like this to promote their gay behaviour. We know why such agendas are being pushed forward by Americans. We want our values based on a family where a man and a woman form a family to be upheld. This is Biblical. Sata and Mmembe should migrate to USA and champion their perverse behaviour. At one time Ayatolla Ruhollah Khameini referred to America as the Great Satan, I am sure he was refering to such strange behaviours. As such fellow Zambians do not fall on the band wagon of deceipt and immorality for Mmembe Sata and the Post Newspaper.
7….Deja Vu…………Pls understand that the speaker is not siding anyone but has given direction. if anything let someone raise the motion and debate it. The speaker can only have powers if an issue comes in form of a motion. Never expect speaker just to follow what some donor prospecting ngo’s have said so. proceadure is very important. What am seeing in Zambia now is that, whatever NGO’s and Mmembe says then it should become law….i dont understand! i for one i 100% support PVT but let us do it in civility not as if you want to punish someone. PVT is best for opposition as well as legitimacy of MMD. If PVT was to be done then all stakeholders shud be involved…..Church,NGO’s,Unions,etc
@ 3. You can read it to the end as many times as you can. However, what matters is to read between the lines.
Definitely, there is a degree of cowardice in our august house. The speaker doesn’t seem to be independent but goes out of his way to please the president. He has got a job to keep and a family to look after.
Magande to form ‘alliance’ with Sata
PF cadres, what kind of party are you where everyone who says what you don’t want to hear is a coward, has been bought, wants to please the president and all sorts of language which only PF cadres know? And you are in the minority yet you want to force everybody to do as you wish. Sorry guys, the ballot box is the only way to go, via ECZ. If you fear to lose, well don’t go to the polls but let MMD rule on until you are organised and ready.
#8 splaka, assuming what you say is true, there is a major diffrence between then and now. Now those CSOs are biased and partial, and more inclined to bread, butter and BMW issues disguised as democracy and good governance for the consumption of the gullible. You just have to look at the behaviour of these guys the past few years, or their current language.
this ronnie is also just a bull chap. everyone has the right to count vote. for example i cancollect them and then post them on the blog. he things that zambian are dull and luck civility
We have come a long way from the Stone Age. One of the developments towards our civilisation is that we agreed to put our affairs in the hands of agreed institutions rather than in the hands of individual clans which will never agree on common matters. Now do these guys Lee & Co want to take us back? If you want a good example of clan mentality and how it takes nobody anywhere, look no farther than the PF/UPND Pact.
at the moment NGO’s like saccord, avap,etc included in their proposals to donors and they have to prove that funds have been used correctly, though it is a known fact that most NGO’s only use 10% on intended purpose and the rest goes in their pockets something donors dont realise.
#11 Real Issue man- I appreciate you contribution. But I listened to the speech on Radio Phoenix, not this report by Times of Zambia who have watered down. The speech didnt indicate a man who was not biased. The MPs had sought guidance whether Gen Shikapwasha was right to threaten those for PVT with arrest, but this speaker side stepped the question. The ECZ may be out of an Act of parliament, but its office bearer are appointed by the MMD Leader, so to me it is an extension of MMD not National. We have to be careful how we handle issues lest they backfire at us. Remember MMD is not God.
I am a sympathizer of the MMD and have been voting for this party since 1991.In 2006 and 8,I went round in my area, singing and jumping for my party but i seem to have issues with my party at the moment.it is a well known fact that the MMD of 1991 was based on unity,democratic principles and the ability to listen to the people who are the owners of the country. To all MMD supporters on this blog,we cannot pretend that things are ok for us at the moment.The grassroot is no longer there for MMD and we seem not to be connected to reality.the question is,what has made us to loose popularity? I have discovered somethings that we have ignored as a party.i talk to many ordinary zambians and they seem to present the same cries and complaints about the MMD.one of the major problem is that, contd
All OLD chaps must retire..we are tired of this Mwanamwambwa guy…eh! Parliament, why keep this man that long? Is there no term of office for Speakers who have outlived their usefulness?
continued from 21.
one of the major problem is that,WE ARE NO LONGER A LISTENING GOVERNMENT. for example.
1) the Pipo of zambia have been crying for a constitution that will stand a test of time and up to date,we have failed to give Zambians a better constitution.
2)the pipo of zambia have been calling for the re-introduction of windfall tax but we have refused to do that.
3)the pipo of zambia were against the removal of abuse of office clause but we went ahead and do what pleased us.
4)pipo want a 50 +1 threshold but we have refused
5) the pipo of zamboia said No to mobile hospitals but we bought them.
6) again the pipo of zambia are calling for PVT but we are not interested. On these and many national issues,we’ve always differed with the owners of the country.
My appeal…
This must be the worst Speaker in the history of Zambia. Why can he not just say things straight? Is the wig too tight on his head?
My MMD AMEN! This must be brought to the attention of the MMD Bootlicker and so called Senior Citizen. They need to learn from you and me (where we are coming from). Anyway, MMD will never win an election again! Not with the calibre of such a speaker as this one! Maybe UNIP2 will come back under RB and Co!
The speaker of the National Assembly Mr. Mwanamwambwa is highly biased towards the MMD. I am a PF sympathiser, however honourable Jack Mwaimbu asked guidance on threats by Shikapwasha against the people advocating for the concept of PVT for election monitoring. The Speaker whaffled a response, when he should have ceased the moment to guide the house fairly.
# 8 Splaka, indeed the MMDs’ boogeyman for progressive cause is that it will bring’CHAOS’! We will continue being deprived of progressive initiatives in the name of avoiding ‘chaos’. The Impi @ # 10 has added another boogeyman, all those with progressive initiatives are ‘promoting gay rights’.
All the urgly ungodly ‘boogeymen’ are just propaganda and nothing else but PROPAGANDA. PACT breakdown is due to a costly propaganda…
#26 her ladyship man in woman skin. is this when you are coming clocking out after long hours of lifting those white bums feed them bath them wipe their backsides. you must be doing very long hours for you to make ends meet you only blog on fridays and once. what a life mulumendo
#27 so what if someone only blogs once a week! Just shows her ladyship has better things to do, you daft priick.
On “In Parliament yesterday Monze Central Member of Parliament (MP) Jack Mwiimbu (UPND) asked whether Justice Minister George Kunda was in order to keep quiet when ministers of Information and Foreign Affairs, Ronnie Shikapwasha and Kabinga Pande, respectively, had allegedly misinformed the nation over the raging parallel vote tabulation (PVT) debate” the PVT is nothing but the famous UPND’s Mapatizya Formula.
I therefore do not see anything wrong for UPND and other interested parties to extend the Mapatizya Formula to the rest of the country when we will be having our 2011 presidential ad general elections to ensure that the MMD Administration of GRZ does not manipulate our ECZ results.
Have a blessed day all and vote for HH and UPND to form an…