This
site is designed for Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator versions
4 and above and a screen resolution of at least 800x600
|
|
|
No third term, Mpasu insists
By
Thom Khanje - 12-12-2002 |
|
|
National Assembly Speaker Sam Mpasu on Thursday insisted that the bill seeking to extend presidential terms will not be tabled during the ongoing extraordinary meeting of Parliament because it was a serious matter that could not be raised without notice.
Mpasu said, however, the house would discuss a government proposal to declare seats of MCP vice President John Tembo and secretary general Kate Kainja because the issue had been brought up as a motion.
“Motions can always be brought up by members. But the issue of third term can not be brought up as a motion but a bill because it’s about amending the constitution,” Mpasu said, adding: “Unless under special circumstances, a bill can only be discussed in Parliament if served to MPs 21 days before introduction.”
Leader of the House Harry Thomson, who is expected to propose the dismissal
of Tembo and Kainja from the house, also said the third term was not on the agenda for the extraordinary meeting of Parliament.
He said the proposal to strip Tembo and Kainja off their seats had been brought up just to take advantage of the extraordinary meeting of the house.
“This [Tembo/ Kainja issue] is a serious issue of criminal nature which we couldn’t ignore. It’s not something we have just fabricated,” said Thomson.
The government wants Tembo’s and Kainja’s seats to be declared vacant following the conviction of the two opposition members on charges of court contempt after they held an MCP convention despite a High Court order stopping it.
The Forum for Defence of the Constitution (FDC), a grouping of concerned opposition parties, religious organisations and other citizens, on Thursday issued a statement alleging that government had cheated Malawians about the full agenda of the extraordinary meeting of Parliament.
The FDC said its reliable sources had informed it that apart from the financial bills mentioned by government, the third term issue and the Tembo/Kainja matter would also be brought up in the assembly.
It warned MPs against voting in favour of the presidential term bill.
Said FDC: “All you honourable MPs are hereby notified that FDC has evidence properly supported with names and dates of MPs who have been bribed in various denominations for the purpose of negatively influencing them to vote in favour of the bill.”
However, Thomson, who is also Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs, described the allegations on bribing MPs as baseless and challenged the forum to produce the evidence it claims to have.
|
|
|
|
|
|
