December 27, 2017

The role of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the national development process is critical as they represent both Government and their respective constituencies.

Indeded, MPs are the eyes and ears of the Executive arm of Government in their respective constituencies in Zambia, and they also represent their respective constituencies ‘development agenda.

Further, MPs should interact with the people in their respective constituencies to know their needs.

The long absence of MPs from their constituencies creates a vacuum in the process of delivering development to their respective constituencies.

Most of the MPs from Copperbelt, Luapula, Northern, Central and Lusaka Provinces have demonstrated that they have been elected to deliver development to their respective constituencies.

The behavior of these MPs is highly commendable and attributable to President Edgar Lungu, who, like his predecessor the late Micheal Sata, advises his MPs to visit their constituencies when ever Parliament is on recess.

However, some MPs are inclined to partisan politics instead of performing their duties in their respective constituencies.

It’s worth noting that once an MP is elected he or she is duty-bound to serve as a representative of Government and the people in their respective constituencies.

But MPs who shun their constituencies do it at the peril of their electorates who ushered them into office.

The electorates are deprived of the much-needed development in many remote areas by lack of effective representations by their area MPs.

Surprisingly, these MPs, who fail to represent their electorates, have become arm-chair critics of government excluding themselves, yet they are part of Government.

Zambian DNA is of the view that the country will only develop when area MPs perform their representative roles effectively.

We are appealing to our MPs to emulate their counterparts in the said Provinces in order to represent their constituencies effectively, and work with the Executive arm of Government in taking development to their respective constituencies.

Issued by:

ZAMBIAN DNA SPOKES PERSON

SPUKI MULEMWA