DPP Law Makers block Parliament gates

Twenty Four Members of Parliament who were given matching orders 105 yesterday are conducting vigil at the gates of Parliament.

Speaker of Parliament ruled that 24 Members of Parliament who were standing to protest the decision which Speaker Catherine Gotani Hara made to recognize Kondwani Nankhumwa as Leader of Opposition be given 105.

Hara said her hands are tied because there is a court order which restrains Parliament to accept anyone as Leader of Opposition but only Nankhumwa.

Earlier the day the members of Parliament could not enter the gates of Parliament after the said MPs had vowed not to go anywhere.

Meanwhile security agents are still reasoning with the evicted MPs to go back and return to Parliament Thursday.

Rumphi East Parliamentarian Kamlepo Kalua also caused problems in the house with his prolonged point of order.

Kalua was accusing the Speaker of Parliament for the 105 decision to the Democratic Progressive party (DPP) members of being dictatorial.

Below is part of the ruling
“Honourable Members, according to Standing Order 105(3)(a), if Members have been named jointly or otherwise, for the first occasion, they are supposed to be suspended from the House for a period of two sitting days. I therefore made this ruling to this effect implying that this sanction has been meted on all of them.

However, you will recall that I repeatedly mentioned Honourable Member for Thyolo Thava who persistently defied my orders by remaining standing while switching on her microphone including disregarding the instructions from the Sergeant At Arms and answering back to me which eventually led to early suspension of the House under Standing Order 106 because of the grave disorder caused by this Honourable Member and the other four Members whom I have mentioned, their sanctions will be different from the rest because they defied the Speaker’s authority, ” Said Hara.