Maravipost’s candid and wide-ranging interview with Juliana Lunguzi MP for Dedza East, Malawi, Shadow Minister-Health and Chair-Parliamentary Committee- Health, covers why she chose to leave a very lucrative job with UNFPA, what she has learned as an MP, what she would like to see changed or improved upon, how as a new comer she was elected Chair-Parliamentary Committee- Health, what challenges she faces as a shadow Minister of health?. Honorable Lunguzi had a word or two of advice to MaraviPost and Malawi Media in General. Without further ado, let’s hear from the Honorable herself
MaraviPost: You are finishing your first year as MP after leaving a very lucrative job with the United Nations any regrets?
Juliana Lunguzi: It has in fact been a hectic and exciting seven months of learning. As to leaving the United Nations (the UNFPA to be specific) my only grief was parting with the many invaluable friends, from all over the world that I had the pleasure to meet, work with and learn from.
But on overall, I have no regrets.
MaraviPost: What has surprised you about being a Member of Parliament?
Juliana Lunguzi: I will mention three things, two internal and one outward-looking.
In parliament, the quality and depth of debates has been a huge disappointment to me. I hope that as a House, we will improve in the coming year.
My disillusionment is based on the fact that, first, there were many instances when I felt that we did not exhaust issues by looking at all options to make meaningful change for ordinary Malawians.
Secondly, not many honourable members take time to do proper research to get their facts right.
Thirdly, I do not believe that Members of Parliament (MPs) should just clap hands even for mediocre bills and policies to “toe their party line”. Honourable members should use their brains a little more. Malawians deserve better.
Again, parliament as an institution needs to adopt a practice and culture where honourable members are given adequate notice of meetings, with bills distributed early enough to allow for consultations with all stakeholders and experts.
Tabling bills without giving us time is why among other things we have seen some “bad laws” in the past.
Outside parliament, I am surprised that people look at an MP as an individual. An MP, in my view, occupies “an office”, and should be perceived as such. The emphasis on the individual, rather than on the “office of an MP” is why many institutions are missing the point and Malawi is losing out.
Members of parliament, when perceived as individuals are not being challenged enough. We aren’t given enough notice for meetings; most of the times we are invited to meetings – verbally or telephonically – with no agenda, no background papers, nothing. At times, not even an email.
This implies that inviting and involving MPs is done as an after-thought to fulfill a formality. Apparently, we are invited just to add weight to the importance of the meetings / events and to watch and listen.
This is wrong. It means that Malawi and conveners of the meetings are losing out on the potential contributions that MPs could have been making, were they challenged and given enough time to prepare, research and therefore make informed contributions to such meetings or events.
It is my hope that in 2015, we will change on these shortfalls, for the better. All these are low hanging fruits that Malawians should reap from their House of Parliament – right away.
MaraviPost: On the quality and depth of debate, do you have a debate in mind that you feel should have been exhausted?
Juliana Lunguzi: There are several. But I want to cite the Water and Sanitation Bill of 2014 – which was dubbed as the Toilets Bill on social media.
The Executive (through the Ministry of Finance) tabled this bill asking the House to authorize the Government to borrow billions of Kwachas for construction of toilets and boreholes, among other things.
MaraviPost: Go on please.
Juliana Lunguzi: Making my contribution, I challenged the mediocre and regressive thinking behind the bill and countered that in this day and age, it was outright absurd that we are still focusing on subsidizing consumption via building of toilets and boreholes.
Quality debate in this regard, and exhausting all options as far as am concerned, entailed progressive thinking and debating about borrowing money (if indeed proved necessary) to increase the uptake of piped water; not for drilling boreholes which are environmentally unfriendly.
Coming to the construction of toilets, do not get me wrong: toilets are important. What I am however saying is that borrowing to construct toilets is a non-starter. We are merely scratching the surface, fighting a symptom of a bigger problem without making tackling the underlying problem.
The fact that a whole government has to construct toilets (by borrowing) suggests that Malawians are too poor to afford even a toilet, which is a must-have thing for every household and structure.
How long are we going to borrow to subsidize consumption by constructing toilets?
I would have loved if that particular debate had escalated to a dialogue on how Malawi can begin to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to fund initiatives and creation of jobs which can result in people having enough money – in their pockets – to afford building their own toilets.
Bottom line is: in this day and age, debate should be on how Malawians can graduate to a state where they can finance construction of the much needed toilets (in a properly roofed house) without the whole Nation State going around begging or borrowing to construct toilets just so that people are not forced to relieve themselves in the nearest bush or tree.
This why in 2015, if we will continue debating on issues that were being debated on in the 1960s, we will be doing Malawi and the people who sent us to Parliament, a big injustice.
We will be selling them short.
Secondly, I found some debates superficial because not all of us in the House care to research on the bills. While many bills are – for a reason am yet to be told – given to us late, I still think as a house, we should not allow the Executive to bulldoze us into debating bills on which we have had no time to research and understanding so as to make informed decisions.
MaraviPost: Your colleagues voted you Chair-Parliamentary Committee- Health, How did that Happen? How have you used this position to advance The Welfare of the people in your District? Since this come with national responsibility how have you used the same position to advance the welfare of all Malawians?
Juliana Lunguzi: I will be totally frank with you: one of my motivations for running for the office of a member of parliament for Dedza East was the huge potential to make a difference that I saw in serving as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Health Committee (PHC), if I were to secure the post.
I therefore lobbied and campaigned. Thank goodness, my colleagues trusted me and believed that I could effectively serve as the Chairperson of the PHC and voted for me – for which I am grateful.
Coming to the position itself, its’ potential to provide checks and balances and to add to value in the Health Sector, has over the years been underutilized. I wanted to change this.
The Health Sector, being a sector which I know inside out as a one-time trainee, who progressed to a registered nurse midwife, and evolved into a public health specialist with local and international experience; I was and I remain confident that as Chairperson of the PHC I will make a mark on Malawi in this sector.
With respect to balancing the Chairpersonship with Constituency needs, it is a bit tricky. The focus of the Committee’s work is national. This means that I have to work ‘overtime’ to make sure my constituents, my “employers” who sent me to the House, are not suffering as a result of the hours and commitment I invest in committee work.
But on the other hand too, the Committee work at times eases my work for Dedza East by exposing me to stakeholders I would not have met were I not doing committee work. When these stakeholders develop an interest in Dedza East, my “employers” benefit from my Committee role.
MaraviPost: We know that MCP is in opposition as you are Shadow Minister-Health. What has the current Minister done that you agree with and what would you do differently to promote the health of the Nation?
Juliana Lunguzi: As I have said above, we are just seven months into this term. Therefore to measure a specific minister’s success or failure during this little span of time would be unfair unless they really messed up big time.
Having said that, what I can say is that, this far, as an individual, Hon. Dr Jean Kalirani is holding the fort and the ship has not yet sunk, although it is sailing in troubled waters.
Going forward however, I expect her to deliver something tangible with respect to ensuring that the Health Sector offers robust and well-supported services in the Preventive, Promotive, Curative and Rehabilitative processes.
I am particularly shadowing her on four overdue initiatives. The first one is how she will ensure that at the curative level, Malawians begin to enjoy satisfactory diagnostic services, have adequate medicines and are attended to by qualified and well-motivated staff for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in all major health centres.
This has been a chronic challenge.
The second initiative is the question of hospital autonomy. Unless institutions currently under the Ministry of Health are weaned off and are managed autonomously, there will never be “enough” money for the sector, not to say effectuality.
The third initiative, closely linked to the first two, is the jigsaw of Recapitalization and optimization of the Central Medical Supplies Trust (CMST). On this one, while the Executive is content to move at a snail’s pace, gains are being eroded; and people out there are dying for lack of medicines.
How the Honourable Minister oversees the evolution of the CMST into a trust that economically serves Malawi and saves Malawian lives, is yet another yardstick with which her tenure as Minister of Health will be measured.
The final initiative is health care financing. Under her leadership, the sector had a summit, opened by the President, to discuss Health Financing.
I am yet to see the fruits of that summit with respect to the political will to drive the attendant policy reform, legislation and operationalization. I am therefore keenly waiting for Hon. Dr Kalirani to walk the talk.
If the honourable Minister gets these four cardinal issues right, I will – a couple of years from now – be very kind in my assessment of her and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government in the Health Sector.
However, if the minister and the DPP goof on this, I may not have to even talk. Citizens will do the “assessment” in the 2019 elections, and you can mark these words, the citizens will extract their pound of flesh.
MaraviPost: As a citizen and as a leader in your own right, don’t you think that Hon Dr. Kalirani’s success (and that of the DPP government too) will be your success just as the failure will also be yours?
Juliana Lunguzi: Yes and no.
Yes – because as a responsible opposition, we are not opposing just for the sake of opposing. In the MCP, we believe in being a value-adding opposition that offers solutions, alternatives and advice.
However, let me challenge you: how many times, in the past ten years or so, has a DPP government heeded advice from opposition or from you the media? How many times?
Unless I am mistaken, the only time that DPP changed on radical policy issue was when it introduced FISP after MCP had refused to pass a budget that had no fertilizer subsidy in 2004.
Since then, a ‘we-know-it-all-attitude’ sneaked in. And this attitude, as you are aware, is a very good recipe for failure, because pride is what comes before a fall.
MaraviPost: You are one of the few MP’s that has a Website www.julianalunguzi.com, a twitter account: https://twitter.com/JulianaLunguzi and a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JulianaLunguzi.
Does technology serve your Constituency since most of them have no access to the Internet? In the same vein how do you communicate with your Constituency?
Juliana Lunguzi: Yes – technology is serving Dedza East Constituents and making my work a lot easier. By embracing and harnessing the power of the internet, social media, and twitter; I am reachable twenty four hours a day; wherever I am – as long as I have connectivity.
Not many MPs can claim this level of accessibility. I can and I am – thanks to technology.
At times, people from Dedza East (where internet is almost non-existent) reach me via their friends or relatives in town. The relatives inbox or email me. I intervene or get in touch to deal with whatever challenge they needed my advice or action on.
Again, via internet and social media I am able to network locally and globally with partners who, as we speak, are making a difference in Dedza East.
But more importantly, via my website and Facebook, Dedza East is now on the ‘cyber’ map. Try and google “Dedza East” – you will be amazed at the power of technology! I you have time, google “Juliana Lunguzi” too, then you will appreciate Dedza East’s cyber presence.
And by the way, I am a common sight, sitting under a tree, chatting with fellow citizens on their verandas, talking to business people including bicycle couriers in their trading places and praying with in the rural most outposts of Dedza East.
I practically “live” in and for Dedza East.
MaraviPost: Finally, we would like to thank you for being accessible to Maravipost and media in general. How do you see the part Media should play to make your work easier?
Juliana Lunguzi: The MEDIA is indeed the fourth estate and, personally, I take the media as the biggest change agent there ever will be. I therefore want to encourage the media in Malawi to continue reporting professionally, without bias and fear.
To the Maravi Post Crew and Columnists, I have a special challenge: It all begins with crafting and agreeing what your mission and vision should be as a publisher. If you can define these, and be guided by same and guard them jealously against cheque-book journalism, you can be assured of growth.
If on the other hand, you allow yourself to be a rumour-mill-cum-monger, your credibility will be on the line. And this will be your downfall.
MaraviPost: Lastly Merry Christmas and Happy new year from the Team at the Maravipost
Juliana Lunguzi: I too, on behalf of the people of Dedza East and the Parliamentary Committee for Health, wish you at the Maravi Post, all the media and all Malawians a better and prosperous Malawi in the year 2015; which is possible; with hard work, inclusivity and integrity in our systems of governance.
I thank you for taking time to listen to my views. Feedback: admin(at)julianalunguzi.com
debate on Boreholes in Parliament Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQmWBaoQ3Fo
