RULING BY THE HON MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER ON A POINT OF ORDER RAISED BY MR S KAMPYONGO, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR SHIWANG’ANDU PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY AGAINST THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, HON D SYAKALIMA, MP, REGARDING HIS RESPONSE TO A QUESTION POSED BY MR S KAMPYONGO, MP ON THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE 

 

Hon Members will recall that on Thursday, 14th October, 2021, when the House was considering Question for Oral Answer No 34 and Mr M Anakoka, Member of Parliament for Luena Parliamentary Constituency was about to ask a follow-up question, Mr S Kampyongo, Member of Parliament for Shiwang’andu Parliamentary Constituency raised a Point of Order against Hon D Syakalima, MP, Minister of Education. 

 

The gist ofMr S Kampyongo, MP’s Point of Order was whether Hon D Syakalima, MP, was in order to tell him that his follow-up question inquiring on the Government’s policy on early childhood education fell outside the scope of the question on the Floor of the House and that he ought to file a question for the Minister to enumerate policy, when the Hon Minister’s responses to the question were more on policy.

 

In her immediate response to the Point of Order, the Hon Madam Speaker reserved her ruling in view of the several Points of Order that had been raised, to enable her study the matter. The matter has since been studied and I will now render the 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:

 

“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, I have perused the relevant verbatim record of what transpired on the material day and it is clear that,in raising his Point of Order, Mr S Kampyongo, MP did not cite the Standing Order, law on privilege or rule of procedure that the Hon Minister of Education had breached. In view of this, the Point of Order breached the procedural requirement I have just outlined.  The Point of Order is, therefore, inadmissible.

 

I wish to remindHon Members to clearly cite the rule, law, privilege, practice or procedure breached whenever they raise a Point of Order.

 

I thank you.