RULING BY THE HON MADAM SPEAKER ON THE POINT OF ORDER RAISED BY MR M KAFWAYA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR LUNTE CONSTITUENCY AGAINST HON D SYAKALIMA, MINISTER OF EDUCATION, FOR ALLEGEDLY MISLEADING THE HOUSE AND THE NATION AT LARGE ON THURSDAY, 9TH JUNE, 2022

Hon Members will recall that on Thursday, 9th June, 2022, when the House was considering the Ministerial statement on the Teacher Recruitment exercise and Hon D Syakalima, Minister of Education, was responding to a follow-up question, Mr MKafwaya, Member of Parliament for Lunte Constituency, raised a Point of Order. His Point of Order wasbased on Standing Order No. 65, which requires a member debating toensure the information he or she provides to the House is factual and verifiable.

In raising the Point of Order, Mr M Kafwaya, MP, stated, inter alia, as follows:

“Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister rose in arrogance and told us, who were hon. Ministers before, that we were doing things in the most haphazard manner and that his methodical Government is now doing things meticulously. 

Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning was seated there. I saw him, and he mentioned 30,000 teachers. That was a definite number that required baseline information he could only get six months later. How did the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, who is in a meticulous United Party for National Development (UPND) Government, find the 30,000 teachers? 
Mr Speaker, is that hon. Minister in order to be presenting information that cannot be verified? 

I seek your very serious ruling, Mr Speaker.”

In his immediate response, the Hon Mr Second Deputy Speaker reserved his ruling. The matter has been studied and I will now render the ruling.

Hon Members, the gist of Mr M Kafwaya, MP’s, Point of Order was that the Hon Minister of Education accused the previous Government of operating in a haphazard manner without providing evidence to support his statement.

My office had recourse to the relevant verbatim record in order to ascertain whether, indeed, the Hon Minister of Education made the statement as alleged. Arelevant excerpt of his statement is as follows:

“Now, Sir, let me tell our hon. Colleagues how they dangerously failed. They were doing things in the most haphazard manner.

Mr Speaker, let me just explain this. Last week, I went to Britain to attend the Education World Forum and, when delegates from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a world-renowned university, heard that there was a Minister of Education from Zambia, they asked to meet me. When I asked why they wanted to meet me, they said it was because they had done research in Zambia. 
Sir, the delegates said that in 2012 and 2015, they had conducted research in teacher recruitment and placement here. I do not know whether the study was sponsored by the World Bank or somebody else. However, our hon. Colleagues across did not want them even to come and disseminate the information, and make informed decisions. Had those researchers presented the results, our colleagues would have designed a template like we did, which was exactly the same as the one the researchers created.”

Hon Members, evidently, it is this statement that Mr M Kafwaya, MP, raised a Point of Order on. From the excerpt it is clear that the Hon Minister attempted to justify his statement by referring to a conversation he had had with some researchers who allegedly conducted a research in the country. However, this was not supported by any documentary or cogent evidence as envisaged by Standing Order 65. In view of this, the Hon Minister breached Standing Order 65 and was out of order.

Hon Members, regrettably, I have noticed a tendency on both sides of the House of Members making unsubtantiated statements, which have the potential to mislead the house and public at large. I wish to remind you to avoid making such unsubstantiated statements in the House. 

I thank you.