PAC OVERSTEPPING BOUNDARIES - KAMBWILI

THEParliamentary A c c o u n t s Committee (PAC) should not overstep its boundaries by question ing people that are no lon ger serving in government, Chishimba Kambwili has said.

Mr Kambwili said it was unfortunate that the PAC had summoned and embarrassed former Disaster Management and Mitigation (DMMU) Coordinator Chanda Kabwe when he was no longer a gov ernment worker.

He said there was no law that compelled the PAC to summon people like the for mer Minister of Youth, Mr Emmanuel Mulenga and Mr Kabwe because they were no longer civil servants.

Mr Kambwili was com menting on the acrimonious interaction between the PAC members and Mr Kabwe, when the latter appeared.

He said he did not un derstand the criteria which compelled the PAC to even try to call Mr Kabwe because the government was an institu tion which could still operate even after an individual exited a position.

“For me, I do not under stand the rationale that was used because the two indi viduals are no longer working and to make matters worse Mr Kabwe was unceremonious ly removed from the position and to be called and subjected to such treatment is very un fortunate,” Mr Kambwili said.

He said he had advised Mr Kabwe not to attend the meet ing but that he was shocked that he went and received a backlash.

He said that this tendency needed to stop because it was unfair and that individuals that could only appear were those that were actively serv ing. “It is not Chanda Kabwe’s duty to tell the Committee how he acquired the facemasks, records are still there and the new National Coordinator can furnish such details,” Mr Kambwili said.