Africa-Press – Zambia. SPEAKER of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti has directed Jack Mwiimbu to deliver a ministerial statement on Wednesday next week regarding MPs being denied visas despite them holding diplomatic passports.
This was after Bwana Mukubwa MP Warren Mwambazi, during Urgent Matters Without Notice, narrated how he and 17 other MPs were denied visas to travel to Berlin and Turkey at the German Embassy.
He wondered why government does not reciprocate the treatment, as demanded by diplomacy.
“Madam Speaker, this year in June, I was tasked to travel with your team to Berlin and Turkey, as it were, and, Madam Speaker, we did apply for Visas at the German Embassy, the Schengen Visa. Madam Speaker, your members were denied visas even with their diplomatic passports.
And in turn, we were even asked a very, very, I can call it foolish question by the people there to say, ‘why are you travelling, 18 of you? Do you have money?’ And we said, ‘you have no jurisdiction to ask us such a question.’ Madam Speaker, why I rise on this matter is that diplomacy is about reciprocity, how you are treated is also how you need to treat others,” narrated Mwambazi.
“Madam Speaker, the diplomatic passport is soon becoming worthless, because even as I speak, Madam Speaker, I did try again to apply for a visa for a WHO meeting in Geneva. Even through fast-track, your members again are denied visas. So, Madam Speaker, even the bonding with the US, it’s the same thing.
Why doesn’t the government reciprocate the way we are treated? Because these people arrive in this country and we give them Visas from the airport upon arrival. Can you reciprocate this issue to ensure that we are all treated fairly, as it were? Because the diplomatic passport ensures that a person is a high-level person, even the behaviour is honourable, even the conduct is honourable”.
Speaker Mutti admitted the urgent matter without notice, adding that it needed to be addressed by Mwiimbu in place of the Foreign Affairs Minister as he was acting.
“I know that the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security is also Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, to my knowledge. Since the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs is not here, we don’t know when the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs will come in, but I think that is a matter that needs to be addressed. It needs to be addressed because if they can deny members of parliament visas, holding diplomatic passports, then where are we going? And we are going to undertake our oversight responsibility checking on the embassies how they are performing, and then a Visa is denied. I think it’s a matter that we need to address, Honourable Minister,” Speaker Mutti guided.
In response, Mwiimbu said the issue of visas fell under his jurisdiction and he would address it.
“The issues of visas fall under my jurisdiction. I have heard what the Honourable member of parliament has indicated, we will address it, Madam Speaker,” responded Mwiimbu.
The Speaker then guided that a ministerial statement be issued on the matter next week Wednesday.
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