Speaker, Dr Matibini
The opposition UPND says the ruling by Lusaka High Court that Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini erred to declare Kasama Central seat vacant confirms that the Speaker is bias.
UPND said this in a statement to Zambian Eye.
When Hon. Jack Mwiimbu raised a point of order over the bias of the Speaker in the National Assembly a few weeks back, the Speaker responded “Posterity will judge me”. It now looks like we do not have to wait for posterity, the High Court has done just that for us in the case where Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM) sought judicial review concerning his expulsion from Parliament.
In July last year when GBM was appointed Vice President for the UPND, the Speaker expelled GBM from Parliament through a point of order on the pretext that he had crossed the floor. What we do not understand is why the Speaker went above the law that regulates the expulsion of Members of Parliament from the National Assembly. There were two cases at the time in which the head of the LEGISLATURE decided to act as judge and legislator, the other involved Hon. Patrick Mucheleka who the Speaker claimed was an innocent by stander in that situation.
Well the birds have come home to roost via a court ruling that is setting the record straight, that an endorsement of another Presidential candidate is not a basis for expelling a sitting Member of Parliament. GBM did not state that he had left PF to join UPND, but rather that he was endorsing HH of the UPND. When Hon. Mwiimbu made that point of order the Speaker denied his assertion, but this court ruling has exonerated Hon. Mwiimbu.
We have observed on several occasions how Speaker Matibini has applied the law and parliamentary procedures selectively to the advantage of the PF. This rests this matter of his perceived bias, which has included UPND MPs wearing PF regalia yet remaining in Parliament even when the party has written to him to expel them. Still posterity has now arrived early for Matibini.
Charles Kakoma
UPND Spokesperson