Former Speaker of Parliament Louis Chimango has observed that Section 65 of the constitution has lost its relevance due to the lack of courageous leaders like former Leader of Opposition John Tembo to enforce its application.
He said this in his eulogy delivered at Tembo’s funeral at Dedza Stadium.
The Section compels the speaker to declare vacant the seat of a member of Parliament who quits his party to join another which is represented in Parliamentary.
Tembo is credited for pursuing the implementation of the legislation during late president Bingu wa Mutharika’s regime.
The former leader of opposition in 2007 even moved that Parliament should prioritise Section 65 debate over the national budget.
That time, a host of opposition parliamentarians had defected to government seats.
Source:NPL
