Maravi

Opposition MPs' quality of debate worries Moono

Opposition MPs' quality of debate worries Moono
By Mutale Kapekele
Tuesday February 12, 2008 [03:00]

THE low quality of debate by opposition members of parliament is embarrassing, United Party for National Development (UPND) defence and security chairperson captain Cosmas Moono has observed. Capt Moono said it was sad that opposition members of parliament failed to speak intelligently for the people they represented in Parliament.

“As the UPND, we feel nauseated and embarrassed by the low level of debate in our Parliament,” Capt Moono said. “We expect senior members of parliament to deliberate intelligently and to understand the ideals and principles of Parliament.”

He alleged that some of the UPND members of parliament were sponsored by the MMD to attack personalities when there were a lot of important issues they could discuss.

Capt Moono said it was unacceptable for members of parliament to use their “stomachs to think”, when their constituencies had a lot of issues that needed to be tabled in Parliament.

“There are a lot of issues affecting our citizens – blackouts, floods, hunger, homelessness and the K900 billion that government failed to utilise in the last financial year,” Moono said. “These are issues that should be debated in Parliament.”

He said the UPND would not accept any member who did not follow party lines when debating in Parliament.

Capt Moono said the country would make very little progress if members of parliament did not improve their debate and that UPND members would be “plucked out” if they did not learn to control their outbursts in the House.

“The Bible says if an eye is bothering you, you could pluck it out. In the same vein, if these UPND members continue to disrupt progress and our vision, we shall have no choice but to expel them,” Capt Moono said.

“It’s better if we had one MP than to have 1,000 who were retrogressive in thinking.”
Capt Moono said indisciplined members of parliament were putting UPND president Hakainde Hichilema and the party in an embarrassing position.

“As opposition, our role in Parliament is not to glorify the MMD but to act as watchdogs for our people and to ensure that the government was taking developmental issues seriously,” he said.

Capt Moono said Patriotic Front members of parliament were also embarrassing the opposition.

“How can you have MPs disrespecting their party president in Parliament?” asked Capt Moono.

Labels: COSMAS MOONO, MPs, PARLIAMENT, UPND

posted by MrK @ 3:43 AM