THAT Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini has declared Roan constituency parliamentary seat held by Chishimba Kambwili vacant is not only the right decision but long overdue.
It is not only politically immoral but a great deception for Mr Kambwili to continue drawing allowances as Member of Parliament on the Patriotic Front ticket when he in fact belongs to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party.
It is all in public domain that after being fired by President Edgar Lungu as Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services in 2016, Mr Kambwili went on to form a political party – the NDC – but disguised himself as a consultant.
Though he kept on denying being leader of the NDC, he betrayed himself through his actions or amnesia. And by so doing, he betrayed his self-proclaimed integrity.
It does not take one to be a political analyst to prove that Mr Kambwili is actually leader of the NDC.
For instance, it is not a coincidence that the announcement of NDC’s registration was done from Mr Kambwili’s residence and not anywhere else. Could it have been out of ultra-benevolence or some charitable act?
From the past two years, Mr Kambwili has been actively involved in party activities of the NDC and brazenly criticising Government.
In some of the by-elections that NDC participated in, Mr Kambwili actively engaged in campaigns on behalf of NDC.
During the Lusaka mayoral elections, Mr Kambwili actively campaigned for the NDC candidate Saboi Imboela. It’s foolhardy for Mr Kambwili to think that Zambians are daft.
It is also on record that Mr Kambwili is the representative of the NDC in the alliance of 10 opposition political parties that resolved to work together on mutual grievances.
However, the ultimate self-betrayal by Mr Kambwili came after the NDC secretary general Mwenya Musenge announced his dismissal from the party for making disparaging and xenophobic remarks against a foreign national.
In his response to journalists who queried his expulsion from NDC, Mr Kambwili said: “Internal political matters of a political party in nature are discussed internally and anybody who goes to discuss those issues to the press is foolish.”
Mr Kambwili went on to confirm that he is the leader of NDC and that Musenge had no powers to fire him.
It seems Mr Kambwili has a bad memory. When he took his expulsion from PF to court, he claimed that he was merely a consultant for NDC but a few days ago, he contradicted himself by claiming leadership over NDC.
If Mr Kambwili is the leader of an opposition political party, why has he continued clinging on to the parliamentary seat he won under the PF ambit?
For the fact that Mr Kambwili crossed the floor to the opposition, he should have on moral grounds relinquished his parliamentary seat as opposed to waiting for the Speaker’s ruling.
It is clear Mr Kambwili wanted to continue enjoying benefits from both ends, which is not only immoral but daylight robbery.
Mr Kambwili continued to draw allowances from Parliament when he was not entitled to because of the fact that he had crossed the floor.
We find it hard to define greed in any better way. Mr Kambwili has been grandstanding on so many occasions, making people believe that he is genuinely concerned about their welfare. But the question is: wouldn’t the money he was irregularly earning at Parliament gone to the poor, the same people he purports to be fighting for?
The money Mr Kambwili was drawing could have gone a long way in addressing the plight of the poor people instead of enriching an already privileged man like him.
It is, however, commendable that the Speaker has declared Mr Kambwili’s seat vacant.
The Speaker is certainly on firm ground to declare Roan constituency parliamentary seat vacant. Mr Kambwili is no longer qualified to hold the seat both legally and morally.
If Mr Kambwili is popular as he claims, it is his chance to put that popularity to a litmus test.
It is also hoped that the Electoral Commission of Zambia will quickly set the date for the by-election to avoid disadvantaging Roan constituency voters due to lack of representation in Parliament.
We need some decency in Parliament.