Information Minister Shadric Namalomba has questioned Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman’s level of knowledge on how he should exercise the powers of his office.
Namalomba said Suleman should read and understand the laws governing the operations of Parliament, particularly regarding the establishment of parliamentary committees and decision-making.
“We are not stopping him from doing his job properly, but he should read the law and understand how he is supposed to work,” Namalomba said in a local media interview.
He argued that the Speaker does not have powers to establish committees or make decisions on his own, saying such powers belong to the National Assembly.
Namalomba said the Speaker’s responsibility is to moderate proceedings and cautioned against abuse of authority, which he said can arise either from personal interests or lack of knowledge.
But Suleman has rejected suggestions that he acted alone in establishing the committees.
The Speaker said the committees were established following petitions received by Parliament and consultations on how the matters raised should be handled.
“I, as Speaker, do not do things without consultation. Let them not say that I do not respect the President. I respect the President, perhaps even more than them,” Suleman said.
He said all petitions submitted to Parliament were available and that discussions had been held on the appropriate course of action.
Suleman also said disagreements should be addressed through dialogue rather than public confrontation.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right. If there is an issue, they should come so that we discuss it,” he said.
The exchange comes amid growing tension over the Speaker’s recent announcement of parliamentary committees to investigate a number of issues of public interest.
Political analysts George Phiri and Chimwemwe Tsitsi have meanwhile urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to respect the independence of the Office of the Speaker.
Tsitsi said Suleman was exercising Parliament’s oversight role over the Executive, while Phiri warned that publicly criticising the Speaker could damage the DPP’s image.
The latest exchange has therefore widened the debate from the committees themselves to questions surrounding the Speaker’s powers, parliamentary independence and the relationship between Parliament, the Executive and the ruling party.
