(MISA/IFEX) – On 28 January 1998, National Assembly deputy speaker Simon Mwila ruled that the editorial published in “The Post” on 16 January headlined “Useless House” was contemptuous of Parliament. On 20 January, Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) members of Parliament had demanded the arrest of “The Post” editor-in-chief Fred M’membe because his editorial stated […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 28 January 1998, National Assembly deputy speaker Simon
Mwila ruled that the editorial published in “The Post” on 16 January
headlined “Useless House” was contemptuous of Parliament. On 20 January,
Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) members of Parliament had demanded
the arrest of “The Post” editor-in-chief Fred M’membe because his editorial
stated in his ruling that the Zambian Parliament has rendered itself
“useless” and that some of its members were “spineless.”
Mwila, himself a member of the MMD, stated that after studying the editorial
he found that it amounted to a “prima facie case of contempt of Parliament”.
Mwila stated that the matter was being referred to Parliament’s Standing
Orders Committee, a body which might require M’membe to appear before it to
justify his criticism. Mwila added that whatever decision the committee
reached could not be challenged by any other body because “the House is a
final authority on matters pertaining to preserving its powers, rights and
privileges.” M’membe believes that appearing before the committee would be
“just a formality” since the MMD would use the opportunity to settle old
scores with him. “We know how they deal with people who are not members of
the MMD in their usual vindictive way…anyone who criticizes them is an
enemy and…has to be dealt with,” he said. Today M’membe told ZIMA that the
point of his editorial was to indicate that the Zambian Parliament was in
need of reform and in its present state imposed an “unnecessary burden to
the taxpayers.” As evidence of the MMD’s disregard for consensus, he cited
the way in which Parliament passed controversial constitution amendments in
1996 so as to bar President Chiluba’s main opponents from running in
presidential elections, and the way in which it ratified a state of
emergency last November (see IFEX alerts of 15, 20, 23, and 27 January 1998).
In March 1996, M’membe and former managing editor Bright Mwape were jailed
indefinitely by National Assembly Speaker Robinson Nabulyato for reporting
critically on Parliament. They spent 24 days in prison.
