Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislators are pushing for the re-tabling of a Constitutional Amendment Bill seeking to incorporate the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in the country’s supreme law.
Rising in the House in Lilongwe yesterday, Mzimba South member of Parliament (MP) Emmanuel Chambulanyina Jere (MCP) queried why the proposed legislation was not included on the Order Paper, an outline of business to be tackled in Parliament, despite his written request to Speaker of the National Assembly Sameer Suleman.
He said he submitted his letter before the Business Committee met and expected the matter to be considered noting that the mandatory 21-day period since the Bill was returned had elapsed.
“I have adhered to all the procedures that are supposed to be followed so that the Bill should be re-tabled. I was expecting it to appear on the Order Paper,” said Jere.
He said the full House should be allowed to decide whether to bring the Bill back because such a decision would carry more weight than that of the Business Committee alone.
In response, the Speaker, who also chairs the committee, confirmed receiving Jere’s communication, but said it arrived after the Business Committee had already met
on the Order Paper. | Nation
“The Business Committee met on Monday the 9th, not on Friday, and your letter came after. We did not discuss that matter because we had not yet received your communication,” said Suleman.
He assured the House that the committee would meet shortly to consider the request and determine the way forward.
Dedza Kasina MP Joshua Malango (MCP) also backed the call, arguing that the Bill must be re-tabled within 90 days.
He suggested that the House be briefly suspended to allow the Business Committee to deliberate, saying all members were present.
However, Suleman maintained that inclusion on the Order Paper is not automatic and rests with the Business Committee.
President Peter Mutharika declined to sign into law the Constitutional Amendment Bill that sought to formalise the CDF and instead directed the ministries of Finance and Justice to develop guidelines for its management.
