LEADER of the Opposition in Parliament Brian Mundubile claims that PF members of parliament are being intimidated and persecuted because they have refused to get on the ruling party’s side.
And Malole PF member of parliament Robert Kalimi says Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Jack Mwiimbu should not be excited as he is not the first person to hold that office.
Some PF members of parliament walked out of Parliament on Wednesday after disagreeing with Mwiimbu’s justification that some lawmakers were being arrested because of ignoring police callouts.
And speaking during a press briefing held after the walkout, Wednesday, Mundubile lamented that opposition members of parliament were being treated like criminals.
“We have seen a trend by the police in the recent past to abduct members of parliament, incarcerate them, detain them in police cells, and deny to give them bond. Even when they can be given bond as promised by President Hakainde Hichilema. These members of parliament, countrymen and women, are elected officials, they are representatives of the people, they are lawmakers. Some of the privileges that they enjoy are things like diplomatic passports, not necessarily that those passports are supposed to be utilised locally as alleged by the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs,” he said.
“These honourable members are highly respected whenever they travel out of the country. But locally they are being treated like criminals. I want to make one point very clear, we are not here to claim that members of parliament are immune from arrests, but the manner of arrests must be orderly. [It] must be in such a way that they are arresting somebody who is respected by society. What is wrong with giving a member a call out or indeed bring a call out to Parliament so that a member can present himself or herself before the police? This country slowly is sliding into a police state, where the police are the law unto themselves’’.
He claimed that instructions for the harassment of lawmakers were coming directly from State House.
“The police are given instructions straight from State House on how to harass these honourable members of parliament. We know the scheme, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what is going on. The President of this Republic, President Hakainde Hichilema intends to instil fear in these members of parliament because attempts have been made to try and get them on the UPND side. These honourable members that you are seeing here are honourable members. So when they are unable to attract the attention of these honourable members, they have resorted to intimidation and persecution,” said Mundubile.
“So the walking out of Parliament was to send a message firstly to the Minister of Home Affairs that we will not stand idle and allow our members to be harassed in the manner that the police have continued to do. This is also a warning to the Inspector General of Police to act within the law, act with respect. There were recent reports that police intend to train some of their staff, our recommendation as members of parliament is that we start with the top command’’.
And Kalimi said Mwiimbu should not be excited as he was not the first person to hold that office.
“The power of the Speaker is slowly fading out of her hands, it is now getting into the Executive. If a member of parliament can be arrested without even the consent of a Speaker, then I wonder where we are going. We are not asking for favours that we are above the law, we can’t be arrested, no! I can just give myself as an example, I never even resisted, I was called for something, I was treated like a criminal, I was denied bond for just fake news. I have 76, 000 registered voters who are in Malole and everyone is complaining that this man is a thief,” said Kalimi.
“Let me remind Honourable Jack Mwiimbu, he is not the first Minister of Home Affairs and he is not the last Minister of Home Affairs, his excitement as if he is jumping on a kangaroo or ichipululu (owl) to be just excited and not answer properly, his days are numbered. We had powerful ministers in that office’’.
