LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s civil rights body Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has expressed disappointment on President Lazarus Chakwera and the Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani-Hara’s conduct of conspiring to paralyse the parliamentary committee meetings on the pretext of the Covid-19 preventive measures.
According to CDEDI’s independent investigations have shown that the speaker got instructions from her boss to ensure that parliament is not functional during this time, in an attempt to cover up the abuse of the Covid-19 funds
In a press statement made available to The Maravi Post on Monday, February 15, 2021 signed by CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa observes that Chakwera and Hara’s conduct are ill to dictates of democracy.
“Our expectation was that the parliamentary committees such as those on Health, Budget and Finance, Public Accounts Committee and the Welfare Committee, were supposed to be meet to discuss the MK6.2 billion which has mysteriously grown wings at the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA).
“On the contrary, we have noted that President Chakwera and Hon. Gotani-Hara have prioritized the meetings for the Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of parliament, solely to discuss the firing of the two Commissioners for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and the appointment of the Director General (DG) for the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA),” reads part of the statement.
CDEDI is challenging Speaker Gotani-Hara to consider taking advantage of innovations in the world of technology to ensure that such committees, or better still the whole national assembly resumes its meetings virtually.
On Monday, PAC recommended Chakwera not approve MEC commissioners Jean Mathanga and Linda Kunje.
