RULING BY THE HON MADAM SPEAKER ON A POINT OF ORDER RAISED ON WEDNESDAY, 7TH JUNE, 2023, BY MR R K CHITOTELA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR PAMBASHE CONSTITUENCY AGAINST HON F TAYALI, MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS, ACTING AS MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT FOR ALLEGEDLY GIVING FALSE INFORMATION REGARDING THE STATUS OF THE CANCELLED MPOROKOSO/NSAMA/NSUMBU ROAD PROJECT 

Hon Members, the House will recall that on Wednesday, 7th June, 2023, when Ms B Nyirenda, Member of Parliament for Lundazi Constituency, had just asked Question for Oral Answer No 277, Mr R K Chitotela, Member of Parliament for Pambashe Constituency raised a Point of Order.

In the Point of Order, Mr R K Chitotela, MP, asked whether Hon F Tayali, acting Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, was in order to give false information to the House.  The Point of Order was based on a statement made by Hon F Tayali, MP, that the Government was going to advertise for another study for the Mporokoso/Nsama/Nsumbu road project. He stated that this statement was contrary to the statement issued by the substantive office holder, who had informed the House that the road project was cancelled because the Government was no longer taking on any more projects. 

In her immediate response, the Hon Madam First Deputy Speaker reserved her ruling in order to enable her to comprehensively study the matter. I have since studied the matter and will now render my ruling.

Hon Members, a review of the verbatim record of the proceedings of Wednesday, 7th June, 2023, revealed that Mr R K Chitotela, MP, in raising his Point of Order, did not cite the Standing Order, law on privilege of Members, rule of procedure or practice that had been breached by Hon F Tayali, MP, as required by Standing Order 131 (3) of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2021. On that basis, the Point of Order is not admissible. 

Hon Members, I have observed, of late, a tendency by Members to rise on a Point of Order without complying with the requirements of Standing Order 131 (3).  I, therefore, wish to remind Hon Members, once again, of the need to clearly cite the rule, law, privilege, practice or procedure breached whenever they raise points of order. 

I thank you.