Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara says her role as Malawi Congress Party (MCP) first deputy president does not compromise her independence as head of the Legislature in providing checks and balances to the Executive.
Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the launch of the inaugural Parliament Week in Lilongwe yesterday, she said the Constitution remains silent on this issue and that she has no problem with the arrangement as long as she remains impartial in the discharge of her duties.
Gotani Hara wondered why the criticism or observations were coming up now when her predecessors, notably Henry Chimunthu Banda and Richard Msowoya also doubled the role with senior party positions.
Chimunthu Banda resigned as secretary general of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) upon assuming the role of Speaker while Msowoya was MCP first deputy president when the party was in opposition.
Said Gotani Hara: “There is nowhere in the Constitution where it stops me from actively participating in politics. What the Constitution wants is that I have to be impartial when I go in the House, but me being a political human being, the Constitution doesn’t stop that.”
Political and governance analysts had also earlier raised concerns about Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda, who holds four public offices, including that of MCP secretary general.
In an earlier interview, a member of the Political Science Association, who requested anonymity, described the current political situation as democratic authoritarianism, where certain individuals hold excessive power under the guise of democratic processes.
Asked on the operations of parliamentary committees, Hara dismissed claims that some committees fail to finalise inquiries due to a lack of funding, adding that the committees themselves are responsible for the delays.
Earlier, outspoken Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture chairperson Sameer Suleman accused the Speaker’s office of using funding constraints as a convenient excuse for not concluding inquiries.
Yesterday, the Speaker specifically mentioned the inquiry into the misprocurement and mismanagement of public resources in the K3 billion Affordable Inputs Programme and the K750 million advance payment to a UK butchery for fertiliser supply.
She said Parliament provided the committee with resources for two weeks. However, after this period, the committee requested additional resources without first presenting a preliminary report on their findings or recommendations.
The Parliament Week is aimed at raising awareness about the functions and operations of Parliament.
During the week, various services offered by the secretariat will be showcased, and for the first time, the House will sit outside its usual environment in the Chamber and convene at Dedza Stadium on Thursday, as a way of bringing Parliament closer to the people.
