Parliament has begun a process to remove opposition Commissioner of Parliament Hon Zaake Francis from his position for allegedly abusing Deputy Speaker Anita Among.
During plenary sitting on Tuesday, 15 February 2022, Members of Parliament accused Zaake of insulting the integrity of Parliament after he last week took to social media and used offensive language to express his dissatisfaction with the Deputy Speaker’s statement regarding his alleged torture.
In his Twitter post, Zaake regarded the Deputy Speaker as a “dishonest person” who lacks “intelligential prowess.”
Raising on a matter of national importance, Hon Martin Ojara Mapenduzi (Bardege-Layibi Division) said that he intended to move a motion to have Zaake is relieved of his duties as a commissioner for denigrating the integrity of Parliament and Office of the Speaker.
“All of us may have our own emotions and issues to deal with but there are avenues in our Rules of Procedure through which anything done by the presiding officer can be challenged. The member never exercised any of the remedies provided in the rules but chose to go to social media,” Mapenduzi said.
Hon Esther Afoyochan, one of the Backbench commissioners disassociated herself from the social media utterances attributed to Zaake saying that the House should deal with the matter in accordance with the House’s prescribed guidelines.
Deputy Speaker, Anita Among referred the matter to the Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Discipline for further investigations.
“Our Constitution dictates a fair hearing before a decision is taken as we continue with other processes. I will, therefore, guide that this matter is referred to the Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Discipline and the committee must report back within two weeks,” Among said.
She said that whereas under normal circumstances, she was supposed to step aside from presiding over a matter that involves her personality, she had to do so because the Speaker is still indisposed.
Rule 110 of the Rules of Procedure states that a Member of the Commission, other than the Speaker or the Leader of Government Business, Leader of the Opposition or the Minister of finance may be removed from office by Parliament for incompetence, misconduct insanity, or inability to perform the functions of his or her office arising from infirmity of body or mind.