By Mercy Matonga:
Parliament has reshuffled oversight committees, with Lilongwe South Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Dimba, who previously resigned as Legal Affairs Committee chairperson, being re-elected to the seat.
In February 2023, Dimba resigned from the position, lamenting deteriorating political will in the fight against corruption following the interdiction of Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General Martha Chizuma.
Dimba was elected in his absence, such that it was not immediately clear if he would take up the position.
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Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara announced that committees had to be reconstituted Thursday, citing the Legal, Budget and Finance as well as the Public Appointments Committee (Pac) as those that had to immediately elect committee chairpersons.
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MP for Mwanza West Joyce Chitsulo, who recently announced that she is no longer a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was, for the fourth time, re-elected as chairperson for Pac.
DPP lawmaker for Nsanje Lalanje, Gladys Ganda, was also re-elected chairperson for the Budget and Finance Committee for the fifth time.
Dimba could not be immediately reached for a comment but Chitsulo welcomed her re-election.
“I look forward to continuing working hard to ensure that our committee delivers on what I have been elected for and to ensure that everything runs smoothly,” Chitsulo said.
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In a separate interview, Ganda vowed to continue championing the cause of prudent use of public resources.
“I am happy with the progress I have made in the position and we will continue to ensure that we serve Malawians. It is within our mandate to ensure that the government spends within the budget approved by Parliament and does not increase levels of borrowing. We want to ensure that debt is reduced and we are also following financial issues with keen interest to ensure that all funds are used for the intended purpose,” Ganda said.
The move to reshuffle the committees is pursuant to Section 56(6) of the Constitution, which establishes the formulation of the committees, which play a crucial role in providing oversight on all public bodies under the Executive branch of government.
