At first glance, Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti’s celebratory dance following the passage of Constitution (Amendment) Bill No. 7 unsettled many observers.
Critics rushed to microphones and press statements to declare her conduct “unbecoming,” “partisan,” and “below the dignity of the Chair.”
Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) swiftly condemned her jubilation, urging impartiality and restraint.
To the casual onlooker, the criticism sounded reasonable. 
But politics, like history, punishes shallow reading. Those who have analytically followed the long, tortuous and deliberately obstructed journey of Bill 7 understand exactly why Speaker Mutti celebrated. Her moment of joy was not frivolous; it was symbolic. It marked the triumph of wisdom over manufactured outrage, national unity over tribal blindness, and democratic resolve over seditious cynicism masquerading as civil society activism.
Bill 7 did not travel an easy road. It was subjected to unnecessary, bad-faith scrutiny not because of its substance but because of who proposed it and which government sponsored it.
A noisy coalition of tribal merchants, anti- President Hakainde Hichilema crusaders, and UPND-phobic elements weaponised platforms like the Oasis Forum to stir fear, suspicion and ethnic anxiety. The Bill was not interrogated honestly; it was ethnicised, demonised, and politicised.
Yet against this backdrop of calculated sabotage, Parliament prevailed. One hundred and thirty-five (135)MPs, UPND, PF, and Independents all rose above partisan and tribal lines to vote in the affirmative. That alone is a democratic milestone. When lawmakers from rival political camps agree on constitutional reform, that is not a failure of democracy; it is its finest expression.
Chief Government Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa was therefore correct to describe the passage of Bill 7 as proof that Zambia’s democracy is functioning. True to his words, democracy is not defined by noise, street press conferences, or moral grandstanding; it is defined by lawful procedure, parliamentary voting, and constitutional thresholds. Bill 7 met all these tests.
Speaker Mutti’s celebration must be understood in this context. As the presiding officer, she shepherded a deeply contested process through relentless obstruction, personal attacks, and sustained delegitimisation. When the Bill finally crossed the constitutional two-thirds threshold, it was not just legislation that passed—it was institutional resilience that won.
As motivational speaker Les Brown famously put it: “The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” Bill 7 was a hard battle. It was fought against misinformation, tribal dog whistles, and a refusal by some to accept electoral defeat in 2021. The Speaker’s joy was the natural human response to overcoming an artificially prolonged struggle.
What is deeply dishonest, however, is the selective outrage now being paraded by those suddenly claiming to defend parliamentary neutrality. Where was this moral vigilance when former Speaker Patrick Matibini openly tilted the scales in favour of the Patriotic Front (PF)?
Zambians seem to suffer from a dangerous case of political amnesia. Under Dr. Patrick Matibini, opposition MPs—particularly from the UPND—were disproportionately punished, suspended without pay, and silenced for minor infractions. Parliamentary rules were selectively applied. Walkouts became routine. An impeachment motion was even initiated against him. The Constitutional Court later ruled that he had erred in key decisions, including the Chishimba Kambwili seat saga.
At the time, civil society was either muted or conveniently distracted. There were no thunderous condemnations from TI-Z about impartiality. No urgent press statements about “rising above partisan outcomes.” The silence was deafening.
Why then the sudden sanctimony now?
The answer is uncomfortable but unavoidable: Speaker Mutti is being judged not by her actions, but by the political interests she frustrates. Her crime is not celebrating a parliamentary outcome; it is presiding over a House that no longer bends to PF entitlement, ethnic vetoes or elite pressure groups.
Even more revealing is who voted and who absconded. Progressive PF MPs such as Sunday Chanda, Remember Mutale, Anthony Mumba, and Marjorie Nakaponda chose nation over party theatrics. Others, including Brian Mundubile and Miles Sampa, chose absence over accountability. History will remember both camps differently.
Speaker Mutti’s celebration was not a betrayal of neutrality; it was an affirmation of constitutionalism. It was a human moment in an institution that has too often been held hostage by cynicism and bad faith. To demand robotic detachment only when outcomes displease certain factions is itself an act of political dishonesty.
Bill 7 passed because reason prevailed. It passed because Parliament refused to be intimidated by tribal hysteria and manufactured outrage. And yes, it passed because leadership,calm, firm, and procedural held the line.
For that, Speaker Nelly Mutti had every right to smile, dance, and celebrate.
Zambia moved forward, and that is worth celebrating.
