Attorney General (AG) Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda has confirmed to have filed against an injunction that was served on Parliament through his office restraining Speaker of Parliament from recognizing some decisions by the Leader of Opposition, including appointment of a shadow cabinet and change of sitting arrangements.
In an interview a short while ago, Chakaka Nyirenda said his move aims at protecting the Speaker and the independence of Parliament.
“This has nothing to do with the Leader of Opposition [Kondwani Nankhumwa] who has his own lawyers. My interest is to protect the Speaker so that she is not dragged into internal matters of a political party. That’s purely a bedroom issue for the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] .
“Secondly, we want to protect the independence of the National Assembly. Courts must not dictate how Parliament should conduct its business. We will be setting a wrong precedence. Parliament is another arm of government that should operate independently. It is up to Parliament to decide how to deal with the issue at hand,” said Chakaka Nyirenda.
Chakaka Nyirenda speaking in the same interview also wondered why some people are against his move to challenge the injunction.
He said : “By the way I am surprised that some people think I did not need to do this. I thought we were sued and we needed to respond?”
Mangochi South West legislator Shadric Namalomba, who was moved from seat 25 to 100, obtained the injunction.
Source:NPL
