RULING BY THE HON MADAM SPEAKER ON A POINT OF ORDER RAISED BY MR S KAMPYONGO, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR SHIWANG’ANDU CONSTITUENCY AGAINST HON G G NKOMBO, MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT ON WHETHER THE MINISTER WAS IN ORDER TO TURN THE MOTION ON THE SUSPENSION OF THE STANDING ORDERS INTO CONTROVERSY BY INTERPRETING THE CONSTITUTION AS FAR AS THE TEACHERS’ RECRUITMENT WAS CONCERNED

Hon Members will recall that on Friday, 22ndJuly, 2022, when the House was considering the motion to suspend standing orders 27 and 115 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2021, to enable the House to sit until all Business on the Order Paper was concluded on each sitting day, and Hon G G Nkombo, MP, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development was debating, Mr S Kampyongo, Member of Parliament for Shiwang’andu, raised a Point of Order. 

In his Point of Order, Mr S Kampyongo, MP, inquired whether Hon G G Nkombo, MP, was in order to turn the motion on the suspension of the Standing Orders into a controversial one by stating that there would be mass by-elections as a result of the recruitment of some councillors as teachers.

Hon Members, in her immediate response, the Hon Madam First Deputy Speaker reserved her ruling in order to study the matter.  I have since studied the matter and will now render my ruling.
Hon Members, Standing Order 131 provides for the procedure to be followed when raising a Point of Order.  In that regard, Standing Order 131(3) states as follows:

“In raising a Point of Order, a member shall cite the Standing Order, law on privilege of members, rule of procedure or practice, which has been allegedly breached.”

Hon Members, a review of Mr S Kampyongo, MP’s, Point of Order revealed that he did not cite the Standing Order, rule, law on privileges or practice on which his Point of Order was based. In that regard, the Point of Order did not comply with the requirements of Standing Order 131(3), and is, therefore, not admissible.

Hon Members, I have on several occasions provided guidance to the House, on the need to cite the relevant rule, law, privilege, practice or procedure that has been breached, whenever a Point of Order is raised.  Hon Members are, once more, reminded to do this whenever they raise a Point of Order.

I thank you.

_____________________