SPEAKER NELLIE MUTTI’S ALLEGIANCE TO UPND HAS PLUNGED PARLIAMENT INTO DISREPUTE To say that what goes on in Zambia's parliament is largely disregarded by ordinary people is probably an understatement. Since independence, this particular parliament will go down with a seriously unndistinguished record. And a major reason for this is the crass partisanship displayed in the last four years by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nellie Mutti, and her two deputies. Their biased presiding has been well documented; they see their chief role as that of curtailing debate by opposition members, whom they often treat with disdain and general unfairness, suspending them at every whim. It is now expected that no serious ruling can be made against the executive in this House. That is why it is not surprising that today, Speaker Mutti, a confirmed cadre of the ruling party refused to rule on the matter of Patriotic Front members who have been deemed to have crossed the floor by campaigning for the ruling party in the last by-elections. Granted that there is a court ruling which determined that nullification of parliamentary seats is the preserve of the High Court. But even in acknowledging this fact, Nellie Mutti's UPND leanings could not be completely hidden. In her ruling she claimed that Nkana MP Binwell Mpundu, did not provide evidence of the three "foolish" PF MPs' crossing the floor. This is not correct because Mpundu had done so, even quoting precedents and supplying video clips. Which in any case are public knowledge. How is it that Mpundu could fail to provide such easy proof? The truth is that even in reviewing the evidence presented, Nellie Mutti's team did so with a biased eye. This is why Zambia's Parliament, once a highly respected institution, is currently viewed with derision. This institution has lost its credibility and integrity, ever since the UPND converted it into an arena for partisan point scoring, than for serious policy debates on such issues as how to tackle the emergency of the current high cost of living. Speaker Nellie Mutti has played a huge part in this descent. Today's ruling by Speaker Nellie Mutti was thus highly predictable. Contrast this with the eagerness displayed by these presiding officers and the UPND, When Miles Sampa took over the PF through the help of the state and parliament, and expelled nine PF MPs. The presiding officers did not hide their glee at the prospect of ridding parliament of the nine MPs. The UPND was then very confident they would grab those seats from the opposition. The Zambian Whistleblower knows a number of people who even started buying materials and printing T shirts expecting to be adopted in one of the nine seats that were set to be declared vacant. However, that confidence has evaporated after their resounding defeat in Petauke Central Constituency. The UPND is now scared of by-elections after the embarrassing loss in Petauke. The ruling party is now very scared of losing another election, especially in Eastern Province, where citizens are displaying independent thought. The writing is on the wall. Even biased Speaker Nellie Mutti now seems to have perceived this. Get in touch with us on WhatsApp +263786654620 John 8:32 "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” #zambianwhistleblower #zwb ©️ Zambian Whistleblower (ZWB).