By Wezzie Gausi:
All Malawi Congress Party (MCP) members of Parliament (MPs) were absent during Wednesday afternoon’s sitting of Parliament, with some independent legislators also missing, leaving much of the opposition side of the chamber visibly empty when proceedings commenced.
Presiding Second Deputy Speaker Esther Jolobala described the trend as “disrespectful” to parliamentary business and contrary to standing expectations of members.
“Members are not coming into the chamber as required,” Jolobala said. “Every Member of Parliament knows that we start on Tuesdays at 9.30[am] and [on] Wednesdays at 9.30am, and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we start either at 9.30[am] or 2pm. But I have seen, I have noted, that members are just coming in any time they want. This is not the Parliament we would want Malawians to see,” Jolobala said.
She instructed the Leader of the House to engage the Leader of the Opposition Simplex Chithyola Banda to establish whether a caucus or other engagement had triggered the mass absence, indicating that the chairperson had not been informed of any such arrangement. Chithyola Banda was not available for a comment.
