Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture chairperson Sameer Suleman has pledged to continue exercising his oversight role by scrutinising government institutions that fail to deliver quality services to Malawians.
Suleman was responding to a letter from Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani-Hara who requested an explanation from him within seven days from December 20 2024, regarding his unannounced visit to the Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM).
The Speaker’s request followed a complaint from SFFRFM chief executive officer Richard Chikunkhuzeni, who argued that Suleman visited the institution with journalists without notice.
But the outspoken lawmaker, in an interview yesterday dismissed the Speaker’s request, saying she is well aware of the duties of a member of Parliament.
He added that he expected Gotani-Hara to educate Chikunkhuzeni on the oversight role of MPs, and dismiss the complaint.
Said Suleman in an interview yesterday: “I will continue working for Malawians unless the Speaker fires me as an MP. As long as I am a member of Parliament, I will not stop exposing the wrongs in government offices that impact on poor Malawians.”
In the response letter to the Speaker, which Weekend Nation has seen, Suleman explains that he visited the institution as a concerned citizen due to the non-availability of Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) fertiliser, adding that his constituents had asked him to investigate the delays in the distribution of the commodity.
Reads the letter in part: “Kindly be advised that the surprise element exposed a lot of issues. For example, the warehouse manager was nowhere to be seen. I searched for him everywhere, including in the warehouses. Such an important institution had only one person in the office.”
The letter also states that Suleman was accompanied by journalists to ensure accountability and transparency, stressing that the visit was not politically-motivated, but aimed at addressing the welfare of millions of Malawians.
In the letter, Suleman further argues that the visit revealed that delays were caused by slow release of Letters of Credit (LCs) by local banks and that, subsequently, Treasury intervened and various designated banks released LCs to suppliers.
Commenting on the issue, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willy Kambwandira said it is unfortunate that the Speaker appears to be entertaining trivia, which questions the impartiality of her office.
He said: “The complaint should have been dismissed outright because everyone knows that MPs’ role is to provide oversight, and they do not need clearance from any office. The Speaker should focus on concluding various parliamentary inquiries whose findings remain undisclosed.”
Kambwandira also observed that Vice-President Michael Usi has visited several government offices unannounced without complaints from controlling officers, adding that either the CEO is hiding something or does not understand the roles of MPs and their committees.”
