Parliament in early adjournment
Parliament yesterday adjourned early to allow legislators and spokespersons of political parties to prepare for debate on the Mid-Year Budget Review Statement that Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda presented on Monday.
When Parliament reconvened yesterday, Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda reminded the House, amid protests from opposition lawmaker Victor Musowa of Mulanje Bale, that there would be an early adjournment.
In a presentation monitored on Parliament TV, he said: “As you recall, we had a presentation on the Mid-Year Budget by the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs. And we agreed we should close early so that we can focus on that.”
But Musowa protested that the opposition side was not given ample time to present their side in Parliament.
He said: “We should realise that the government side and the opposition, which is the government-in-waiting, agreed to [collectively] form the government in this House. So, we beg you First Deputy Speaker to consider us in the opposition.”
First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Madalitso Kazombo assured the opposition benches that they would get the time to present their issues before the Parliament at the next sitting.
Institute for Policy Research and Social Empowerment director Henry Chingaipe said the adjournment was standard parliamentary procedure, but noted that there was a disruption in the delivery since the minister presented the budget on Monday instead of Friday.
In a telephone interview, he said: “Usually, Minister of Finance presents their budgets on Friday and the discussion resumes on Monday.
“This gives parliamentarians at least two-days to go through the statement. But as it stands now, the Parliament only had a day.”
Chingaipe, a former head of research at Parliament, said the opposition may not fully appreciate the purpose of adjournments or they may have been trying to make a “political statement” that the governing Tonse Alliance does not have business to discuss.
