RULING BY THE HON MADAM SPEAKER ON A POINT OF ORDER RAISED BY MR F C CHAATILA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR MOOMBA CONSTITUENCY AGAINST MR C C KANGOMBE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR KAMFINSA CONSTITUENCY FOR WALKING OUT OF THE HOUSE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE HON MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER RULED AGAINST HIM

Hon Members will recall that on Friday, 2nd December, 2022, when the House was considering Head 62-Ministery of Energy, under Programme 2101and Dr A D Mwanza, Member of Parliament for Kaumbwe Constituency was debating, MrF C Chaatila, Member of Parliament for Moomba Constituency, raised a Point of Order premised on Standing Order 204(4).

In his Point of Order, Mr F C Chaatila, MP, inquiredwhether Mr C CKangombe, Member of Parliament for KamfinsaConstituency was in order to walk out of the House immediately after the Hon Madam First Deputy Speaker ruled against him,and before the Hon Minister could respond to his question.  Hon Members, Standing Order 204states, among others, as follows:
“204. Parliamentary Decorum and Etiquette
(1) Parliamentary decorum and etiquette refers to an essential standard of behaviour that a member must observe in the House in order to maintain the dignity and decency of the House.
(2) A member shall observe the following rules of parliamentary etiquette: 
(a)…
(k) a member shall not leave the House immediately after debating. Instead, after debating, a member shall resume his or her seat to listen to debates of other members and only leave the House afterwards, if necessary.”

Hon Members, in her immediate response, the Hon Madam First Deputy Speaker, sitting as Chairperson of the Committee of Supply, reserved her ruling.I have since studiedthe matter, and will now render my ruling.

Hon Members, the Point of Order raises the issue of breach of parliamentary etiquette and decorum by a Member leaving the Chamber immediately after the ruling of the Speaker or before his or her question has been responded to.

The background to the Point of Order is that Mr C CKangombe, MP, asked the Minister of Energy whether the amount Two Hundred and Fifty Five Million Five Hundred and Fifteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty One Kwacha (K255, 515, 961) indicated under Programme 2101-Petroleum Development and Management also provided resources to assist the engineers perform under the new business model for Indeni Petroleum Refinery. Mr C CKangombe, MP,then proceeded to ask a second question under Programme 2103-Renewable and Alternative Energy Development.
This prompted the Chairperson to interrupt him and guide that he could only ask one question to allow others to ask questions as well.  She added that, if time permitted, he would be called upon again. When the Hon Minister of Energy began to respond to Mr C CKangombe, MP’s first question, Mr Kangombe, MP, walked out of the Chamber, hence, thePoint of Order by Mr F C Chaatila, MP.

Hon Members, as rightly stated in Mr F C Chaatila, MP’s Point of Order, parliamentary etiquette requires a Member who has concluded speaking or who asked a question to resume his or her seat before leaving the Chamber. This is to ensure that such a Member should personally hearthe response on the subject that the Member may have raised on the Floor of the House. Failure to do so is a display of a discourteous behaviour on the part of the Member not only to my office, but to the House as a whole. Such conduct amounts to a breach of parliamentary etiquette.

In this regard, Mr C CKangombe, MP, was out of order.

I thank You.
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