Parliament has moved a motion barring a single member of a political party from operating as spokesperson during deliberations in the Chamber.

According to mover of the Motion Richard Chimwendo Banda who is also Leader of the House, a single member should not be allocated 30 minutes of making an address in the Chamber.

“No one is barred from speaking in Parliament it’s just the timing, if you are speaking as a Party spokesperson is 30 minutes and if you are speaking as a member is 10 minutes it is just a change of time allocation and nothing special,” said Chimwendo Banda.

He also clarified that the motion is not barring single lawmakers of a Party from speaking but that they single party members be allocated 10 minutes as any legislator.

“A single member of the Party will be allowed as ever as Parliament will be there, but if a Party representative came alone in this House he or she will be allocated the usual 10 minutes as any Member,” said Chimwendo Banda..

Ironically, Mzimba North legislator Yeremia Chihana is the only Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) single member in the House and he has previously been allocated 30 minutes of contribution in the Chamber on behalf of the Party.