RULING BY THE HONOURABLE MADAM SPEAKER ON A POINT OF ORDER RAISED ON TUESDAY, 12TH NOVEMBER, 2024, BY HONOURABLE M HAIMBE, MP, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, AGAINST MR MUNIR ZULU, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR LUMEZI CONSTITUENCY, FOR USING A DEROGATORY TERM WHILST POINTING AT MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT ON THE RIGHT
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Honourable Members will recall that on Tuesday, 12th November, 2024, when the House was considering the Report of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Human Rights and Governance on the Accession of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty and Mr H Mapani, Member of Parliament for Namwala Constituency was debating, Honourable M Haimbe, MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, raised a Point of Order. 

In his Point of Order, Honourable M Haimbe, MP, inquired whether Mr Munir Zulu, Member of Parliament for Lumezi Constituency, was in order to use a derogatory term whilst pointing at Members of Parliament on the right side of the Speaker, while debating. 

Honourable Members, in her immediate response, the Honourable 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.

Honourable Members, Standing Order 139 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2024, provides for the procedure to be followed when raising a Point of Order. In that regard, Standing Order 139 (3) provides 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.”

Honourable Members, a review of the verbatim record of the proceedings of Tuesday, 12th November, 2024, reveals that Honourable M Haimbe, MP in raising his Point of Order 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 139 (3) of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2024. The Point of Order is, therefore, inadmissible.

Honourable 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. On that basis, Honourable Members are once more reminded to acquaint themselves with the Standing Orders so as to ensure that whenever a Point of Order is raised, the relevant rule, law, privilege, practice or procedure that has been breached is cited. Therefore, failure to cite the relevant rule, law, privilege, practice or procedure that has been breached whenever a Point of Order is raised shall render such Point of Order inadmissible. 

Honourable Members, despite the foregoing, a further review of the verbatim record and video footage of the proceedings of the day reveals that Mr Munir Zulu, MP, used the vernacular word “ba mbuli” twice whilst pointing at Members of Parliament on my right, while debating. I note that the context within which Mr Munir Zulu, MP, used the vernacular remark is derogatory. In that regard, I direct the Director (Hansard) to expunge the words used by Mr Munir Zulu, MP, from the Daily Parliamentary Debates of Tuesday, 12th November, 2024.

I THANK YOU.