‘May the better candidate win’
Outgoing Speaker of Parliament Henry Chimunthu-Banda recently announced his retirement from active politics after presiding over Parliament which saw presidential succession within a five year term of the current House. As he bows out, our Reporter Wisdom Chimgwede wanted his take on the forth coming elections.
Q
Your tenure of office closes in March 2014 as parliament stands dissolved. How would you describe your term in general terms?
A
It was a pleasure for me to serve my country in that capacity. I was humbled by the amount of support I received from all parties represented in the House. I wouldn’t say anything about the quality of deliberations because, as Speaker, my role ends at providing a conducive environment for each Member, irrespective of his or her party affiliation, to express himself or herself fully. I made sure that I provided a conducive environment by ensuring that jeering and name-calling was always at the minimum.
Q
You stand being the only Speaker who oversaw the unfortunate switch between presidents in one term of office, what effect did that have on your office?
A
As you know, constitutionally, the President and National Assembly, make Parliament. Therefore, the loss of President Bingu wa Mutharika meant a loss of one arm of what constitutes Parliament. But that was not all. The scenario we had as a country meant that the then Vice-President would take over the reins of power; ostensibly changing political dynamics of the House. We saw that overnight the Peoples Party became a de facto ruling party in the same way the Democratic Progressive Party suddenly became a ruling party on 5th February, 2005. From time to time the issue of how a political party becomes a ruling party was on the floor of the House. But the views expressed were more political than legal. I am inclined to believe that we need to exhaustively discuss such a matter at some national forum.
Q
Generally, what would you say about 2014 in as far as Parliament is concerned and Parliament/executive relations?
A
I have no doubt that the next parliamentary term will be even more exciting for the simple reason that after working on the exercise of amending Standing Orders since 2008, it is only this year that we have succeeded to conclude the process. And I am so delighted as an outgoing Speaker that I did not only preside over the amendment process, but also concluded and finally adopted the revised Standing Order. Let me briefly mention to you the following new dimensions in the amended Standing Orders:
Firstly, the Budget will be handled in a manner that offers more rigorous and robust scrutiny than is the case at the moment.
Secondly, a fully fledged committee on government assurances has been created. Its significance is in the fact that Cabinet ministers will be kept in check about the assurances made on the floor of the House.
Thirdly, the old age issue of who becomes the Leader of the Opposition has been adequately addressed. The new definition implies that the party in opposition having the greatest numerical strength at any point in time will “elect” the Leader of the Opposition.
Q2014 is an elections year, what’s your general take on both the presidential and parliamentary races?
A
I wish all the presidential candidates good luck. May the better candidate win. On the parliamentary race, I wish to state that the low retention rate witnessed in the past three elections is quite disturbing. Between 1999 and 2009 the average retention rate at the turn of every General Election is a dismal 27.6%. Much as the onus to retain or recall an MP rests with the constituents but at institutional level this posses an enormous challenge. As you know, it takes quite a while for a newly-elected Member to get acquainted with the intricacies of Parliament especially the practices and procedures. Experience has shown that a fast learner may take between two and three years to make full use of the written and the unwritten rules of the House. Therefore the high ‘attrition’ rate robs the institution of the human resource which is critical in the keeping of its memory but also we lose Members in which we have invested by way of offering training both locally and abroad.
Q
What would you advise your successor after May elections?
A
I will make myself available to the incoming Speaker in the same way my predecessors made themselves available to me. The office demands continuous consultations here at home and with colleagues within the Commonwealth for sharing experiences. Continuous reading is the hallmark of the office of Speaker to get to know the parliamentary ‘case laws’ for guidance when confronted with impromptu situations. I will share with him or her my philosophy of 3F’s which means to be Firm, Fair and Friendly which were the bedrock of my speakership while in the chair.
Q
What kind of Parliament do you visualise post May 20 elections?
A
My belief is that the performance of the institution of Parliament is dependent on the membership of that particular term…But that said my expectations, just like those of many Malawians, are that the forthcoming Parliament should continue to offer unhindered space for ventilation of people’s grievances and providing the necessary checks and balances to government actions for the enhancement of democratic governance.
Q
Some quarters say you intend to form your own party or to join one of the existing parties. What is your take?
A
Nothing can be further from the truth. I have heard of such stories before and I have just scoffed at them. My view has been not to dignify such stories with my responses. What such people ought to know is that under the Republican Constitution I have the inherent rights to form or not to form; to join or not to join a political party. But the fact still stands that as for the 2014 elections, I am not participating. I am not in a hurry to make a decision on the way forward. Rather, I want to use the sabbatical period of 2014-2019 devoted to some deep reflections on my political destination.
