Maravi

Speaker won’t break PF, says Sata

Speaker won’t break PF, says Sata
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Friday, April 03, 2009 6:54:32 PM

OPPOSITION Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has charged that Speaker of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa will not weaken the PF despite his relentless attempts to suppress it in favour of the ruling MMD.

Commenting on a 90-day suspension of PF Munali member of parliament Mumbi Phiri and 60-day suspension of PF 'rebel' member of parliament for Kawambwa Central Elizabeth Chitika-Mulobeka by Speaker Mwanamwambwa on Friday night after the duo physically fought and insulted each other in the parliamentary foyer last month, Sata claimed that the penalty against Phiri was stiffer than Chitika-Mulobeka's because the Speaker dislikes the PF.

"The aggressor is Elizabeth Chitika and because the Speaker has always been against the PF, he would like to weaken the PF. That is why the woman [Chitika-Molobeka] who was saying, 'I was going for her neck', gets a lighter sentence and the person who was getting bashed is the one who gets a severe sentence," Sata said. "But he will not succeed, he will not weaken us. The Speaker will not weaken us, he is wasting his time. If he wants to behave like a cadre, God bless him, let him continue. The public is seeing. The complainant going to prison [and] the one you are complaining of is set free."

He said the 60-day suspension of Chitika-Mulobeka was as good as setting her free.

"She is the victor, everybody knows. The CCTV, the security officers at Parliament they know that the aggressor was Mulobeka but according to the Speaker, Mumbi Phiri is the aggressor just because she belongs to the PF. This is the way he has been behaving towards this 'rebels'," Sata said. "Mumbi Phiri has been given three months suspension because she is not one of the 'rebels', the other one because she is a 'rebel' she gets a lighter sentence."

On Thursday, Speaker Mwanamwambwa reprimanded Kabwata PF member of parliament and party spokesperson Given Lubinda for misrepresenting parliamentary proceedings during a live TV interview concerning his [Speaker's] guidance on voting for the emolument bills that led to controversial increments of salaries and allowances for constitutional office holders.

But Sata said Lubinda had done nothing wrong.

"Given Lubinda was reprimanded for quoting [a] parliamentary website and they write him an apology themselves. What type of leadership is that?" Sata wondered.

Asked if he meant that Lubinda did not personally write an apology to the Speaker over his conduct, Sata responded: "They wrote it for him. That is the democracy we are running in Zambia."

He further claimed that the composition of the committee that analysed the cases involving Phiri and Chitika-Mulobeka, and Lubinda was bias.

"On that committee of theirs, all of them are MMD plus Sakwiba Sikota and our member who is supposed to be on that committee, Yamfwa Mukanga was a witness. So what do you expect from there? Sakwiba Sikota was campaigning for Rupiah Banda. Sakwiba can't look at justice; he is looking for a job like Nevers Mumba and Ephraim Mateyo," Sata said. "But anyway the people are seeing."

He said Speaker Mwanamwambwa was partial in his rulings.

"We have had four black Speakers in that Parliament; the first was Wesley Nyirenda, the second was [Robinson] Nabulyato, the third black speaker was Fwanyanga Mulikita and the most partial of them all is this [current] one, Amusaa Mwanamwambwa," said Sata. "Anyway we have a record that will remain as part of his legacy. Partiality will remain as his legacy. We have a complicated President and a complicated Speaker at the same time."

Labels: AMUSA MWANAMWAMBA, PF, SATA

posted by MrK @ 5:54 PM