Madam Mutti must stop playing politics with Bill 7
By Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma
ZAMBIA’S Speaker of the National Assembly, Madam Nelly Mutti, has crossed a line. Instead of remaining a neutral referee in Parliament, she has now taken it upon herself to champion a failed, rejected, and discredited piece of legislation, Bill 7. Her reckless stance is not only undemocratic but also a slap in the face of the Zambian people who have already spoken against it.
The Speaker’s role is clear: She is not a politician
The Speaker is supposed to be an impartial umpire, not a political activist hiding behind parliamentary robes. Her mandate is to preside fairly, ensure order, and protect the dignity of Parliament. She is not an MP, not the Executive, and certainly not a lobbyist for bills.
So why is Madam Mutti suddenly acting as if she were part of the Executive? Who gave her the authority to drag a rejected bill back onto the agenda? Why is the Speaker meddling in law-making instead of sticking to her role as a neutral presiding officer?
By publicly advocating for Bill 7, Madam Mutti has abandoned neutrality. She is behaving like a party cadre in Parliament, echoing the Executive’s voice rather than defending the people’s voice. This is not only shameful, it is dangerous.
Bill 7 was rejected by the people
Let us remind Madam Mutti of a fact she seems eager to forget: Bill 7 was thrown out by the Zambian people. It was never a people-driven initiative; it was an Executive project pushed by a handful of UPND insiders desperate to tighten their grip on power.
The majority of Zambians saw through it and rejected it outright. So why is the Speaker, of all people, attempting to force this dead project back into Parliament? Who exactly is she speaking for: the people, or the ruling elites who want to manipulate the system?
A speaker who acts like a cadre
When a Speaker begins to behave like a partisan operative, the integrity of Parliament collapses. Every ruling she makes becomes suspect. Every decision she takes becomes tainted with political bias.
Is this the Parliament Zambians fought for? Is this the kind of leadership we deserve, a Speaker who sides with the Executive instead of protecting the people’s will? Madam Mutti is dragging Zambia down a dangerous road: a Parliament that is not a House of the people, but an extension of the ruling party’s secretariat.
This is reckless. This is unacceptable. And it is nothing short of a betrayal of the Speaker’s oath.
The people will not be fooled
Madam Mutti can posture, she can spin, and she can parrot the Executive’s agenda, but she cannot erase the truth: Bill 7 is a rejected bill, and Zambians do not want it.
So why is she attempting to impose it again? Does she think the people have forgotten? Does she believe Zambians can be forced to accept what they already rejected?
The Speaker’s job is not to lecture the people, not to undermine their decision, and certainly not to impose failed bills back into the House. Her job is simple: to preside fairly, like an umpire. If she cannot do that, then she has no business sitting in that chair.
Conclusion: Madam Mutti must stay in her lane
The Zambian people will not allow a partisan Speaker to drag our democracy into the mud. Madam Mutti must immediately abandon her crusade for Bill 7 and return to her constitutional lane.
The Speaker’s chair is not a political platform. It is not a campaign podium. It is a sacred seat of neutrality. And if Madam Mutti insists on behaving like a UPND cadre, then she must be told, loudly and clearly, that Zambia has no place for a partisan Speaker masquerading as a servant of the people.
