By: Ollus Ndomu
A controversially maverick Zambian lawmaker was on Friday given a 30-day suspension from parliament following his Thursday pubic hair comment.
Munir Zulu, arguably the youngest Member of Parliament -MP- in Zambia’s current National Assembly, came under fire after saying MPs were adults “who shaved their pubic hair”.
Regular cutting of pubic hair is a custom among adult Zambia, as people with uncut public hair are considered unhygienic, but talking about it in public is considered inappropriate.
During the Wednesday National Assembly debate, Zulu took offense after a governing United Party for National Development -UPND- lawmaker, Jamba Machila, referred to him as a “young man” during a parliamentary debate on the abolition of district commissioners.
“Everyone of us here shaves their pubic hair… we are elders.”
These sentiments attracted sharp reactions from other House Members who felt greatly insulted and called on speaker Nellie Mutti to force Zulu to withdraw the statement.
In the ensuing heckling, Health Minister, Sylvia Masebo was heard referring to Zulu as a “rat”, a reaction on which the allegedly insulteous lawmaker wrote to the Speaker about.
In an interview with the BBC, Zulu said the he saw no offence in using the phrase “pubic hair” because it was used in a metaphorical way to describe adults.
He accused the House leadership of not following laid down procedures when enforcing discipline, saying he was not given chance to defend himself before being suspended: “but before this matter could go to the privileges committee as per procedure, I have been suspended,” he said.
“This suspension is petty, vindictive and unprecedented,” Zulu continued.
“What kind of parliament are we having where I can be referred to as a rat and nothing is done yet I am asked [about] my pubic hair remarks?”
Zulu, a Muslim by faith, is not new to controversy as he has previously been barred from participating in parliamentary proceedings for wearing a thobe – an ankle-length garment that is predominantly worn in Islamic states.
