SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda on Thursday chided MPs for leaving the House during debates resulting in adjournments due to lack of a quorum.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
Mudenda said MPs were seeing “specks” in the eyes of ministers, who they often accuse of bunking Wednesday’s question and answer sessions, yet they also had “planks” in their eyes, as they abandon debates on various motions and causing the lack of a quorum.
“I have not only raised similar concerns, but I have also deplored very disturbing trends by some MPs, who only attend sittings for a very short time before leaving the House. I have learnt that some MPs have not taken heed of my concerns relating to quorums in the National Assembly,” he said.
“Indeed, it has become a chorus in the august House for MPs to clamour for Vice Presidents, ministers and deputy ministers to attend Parliament in order to answer questions as provided for in section 107(ii) of the Constitution, and it, therefore, follows that, as MPs, we should lead by example by religiously attending sittings.” He said the MPs’ conduct was a waste of taxpayers’ money.
MDC-T chief whip, Innocent Gonese complains almost every Wednesday that ministers were not attending question and answer sessions.
The opposition has also threatened to invoke contempt of Parliament charges against ministers, who did not attend the sessions.
But, Mudenda used Matthew 7 vs 2-4 to remind MPs of their own transgressions of leaving the House during debates, resulting in lack of a quorum.
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“It is written: ‘For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother let me take the speck out of your eye while there is still a plank in your own eye?”
He said MPs might be morally compromised if they saw the specks in ministers’ eyes while ignoring the planks in their own eyes.
Opposition MPs did not take kindly to his words and tried to interject and raise points of order against the ruling, but Mudenda refused to entertain them, saying they must respect and appreciate their constitutional obligations.
He said in view of the truancy, he had requested the Parliament legal team and procedural subcommittee to propose appropriate sanctions to effectively end bunking of the National Assembly business.
