First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Namugala says members of parliament who are in a habit of going to the House just to log in, get their allowances and leave must think of the poor people who voted for them.

She was responding to Mafinga PF member of parliament Jacob Siwale who rose on a point of procedure today, wanting to know if it was in order for his Roan counterpart Chishimba Kambwili to just go in the House, log in and then go immediately after being paid.

“Madam, is it procedure for the honorable member of Roan to come to this honorable House, every time, he just comes to log in, get paid and off he goes, I need your serious ruling,” said Siwale.

But Namugala generalized her response saying she was aware that there were others who were in the habit of leaving shortly after logging in.

“The position of the chair is that, firstly, the chair has not been focusing on one member of the House and therefore the chair cannot rule out that other members in this House probably don’t spend all the time in the House. I’m aware that many members of the House do come in, log in and go. Some come back others don’t. In that regard, therefore, I would love to offer counsel to all members of parliament that we have the responsibility to the people that elected us and they pay us to do the work that we do. I therefore urge members of parliament from both sides to put in an honest day’s work to earn the trust of the people that have sent us here,” said Namugala.