Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has said the House rejected the International Development Association Bill tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Goodal Gondwe because it had a lot of loopholes that needed to be tightened.
Speaking in an interview, MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila said education in Malawi is very important and, therefore, concerns raised by legislators should have been incorporated into the bill before tabling it in the House.
In a separate interview, Leader of the House Francis Kasaila dismissed Kabwila’s remarks, saying opposition parties had enough time to make amendments, but none came forward.
“This is very disappointing, but we will engage them,” he said.
When First Deputy Speaker Esther Mcheka Chilenje asked parliamentarians if they accepted the bill, the majority rejected it, prompting Kasaila to call for an early adjournment of the House.
After the rejection, most MPs left the House, saying: “Paja chikakanidwa sichibwereranso eti [a bill cannot be tabled again in the House after it has been rejected]”.
