Maravi

Immature MPs

Immature MPs
By Editor
Wednesday April 04, 2007 [04:00]

A few months ago, we stated that the nation is not getting much from its investment in the National Assembly. This was at the time Speaker Amusaa Mwanamwambwa cautioned members of parliament against making insulting running commentaries in the House, especially when a member is debating. We concurred with Speaker Mwanamwambwa and criticised the members of parliament for being childish and less serious whilst on very serious national duty.

With our objective criticism, we hoped our members of parliament would see sense in that and change for good. We were wrong. The situation degenerated to very embarrassing levels last week when opposition Roan Patriotic Front member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili was ejected from the House by chairman of committees Mukondo Lungu for making noise or exhibiting childish behaviour in other words. Before this incident, there were several appeals over a number of days by Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mutale Nalumango for decent behaviour from our members of parliament. These appeals fell on deaf ears.

This is indeed a very sad state of affairs because it looks like most of our members of parliament do not seem to know why they are in Parliament. Luapula Anglican Bishop Robert Mumbi has called on our members of parliament to stop politicking and start serving the people.

We do not think that this call will yield the necessary results going by the way our members of parliament are conducting themselves. It is good that now the parliamentary debates are being carried live on radio and a large number of our people are following these debates, especially those along the line of rail.

In all fairness, we can say that from what we have seen and heard from most of our current members of parliament, one would not be wrong to conclude that it is the worst composition of members ever in the history of the country. We wonder how the few members who seem to know why they are in Parliament are feeling to be associated with this huge joke of parliamentarians.

Like Bishop Mumbi observed, our people are faced with many problems and challenges which need urgent solutions from our parliamentarians and the people’s representatives.

But these people who are supposed to provide these solutions seem to be clearly lost, they are at sea. It is very difficult to understand why a member of parliament from a constituency heavily riddled with poverty can choose to make noise or make some childish insulting running commentaries in the House instead of discussing the state of affairs of his people who are perpetually living in squalor.

Parliament is a place for debate, and meaningful debate for that matter. We wonder if these members were sent to Parliament by their representatives for political comedy.

With this current state of affairs, anyone’s dream to use Parliament as a vehicle for reform will remain a pipedream. As things stand today, such reforms have to come from elsewhere. Today’s Parliament is a big joke, it is actually a circus.

These members of parliament even forget that they are parents who are supposed to be models to their children and the people they represent. But instead of being such models, most of our members of parliament have proved to be an embarrassment.

These members have actually reduced the integrity and honour of the National Assembly. National Assembly has now become a place for jokers and job seekers, people who lack depth on serious national matters. No serious-minded person would want to associate himself or herself with this mediocrity we are seeing today in Parliament.

But a lot of our taxpayers’ money is spent on running this institution which is supposed to be an important pillar of our democracy and good governance. This high expenditure should bring returns to the taxpayer because it is an investment.

Members of parliament have a crucial role to play in guiding and directing the conduct of government business in the House. If there is a lapse in this area, government’s performance is negatively affected. We have seen in the past how some effective members of parliament positively contributed for the benefit of the country.

We are not saying there should be no light moments in the House but what is happening currently goes beyond humour. It is a manifestation of lack of appreciation of the business that keeps them in the House.

It is not too late. Our members of parliament can redeem themselves and serve their people in a worthy manner, not what they are doing today. And these members should be compelled by a sense of honesty and responsibility to take their parliamentary duties in the House more seriously and in a dignified manner so as to set good standards for the country and our people.

Speaker Mwanamwambwa and the others working with him should not relent in inculcating a sense of responsibility and maturity in our irresponsible and immature members of parliament. Our people deserve better from these members who speak for them in Parliament.

Labels: EDITORIAL, MINISTERS, PARLIAMENT, PF, SATA

posted by MrK @ 4:21 AM