BLANTYRE—(MaraviPost)—In an effort to protect the aged parliamentarians from Covid-19, Parliament has released guidelines for the 2020/21 budget meeting that would see only 100 ‘youthful’ lawmakers meeting for two hours every day in the chamber.
According to the guidelines that were released on Tuesday, parliamentarians of advanced years have been asked to stay away as they are deemed susceptible to the fatal effects of Covid-19.
The guidelines are a way of minimising the spread of the novel coronavirus while Members of Parliament (MPs) continue to transact government business of passing the budget and other businesses that might include deliberating the electoral reform bills.
The bills will determine when and how the fresh presidential election, which was ordered by the courts after nullifying the 2019 presidential election, should be held.
In her communication on the new guidelines, Speaker Catherine Gotani Hara says Parliament encourages MPs with pre-existing medical conditions and those above 60 years of age to be working from their places of lodging as they are more vulnerable to Covid-19.
They are, however, supposed to avail themselves for substantive voting if they feel so.
“The other [MPs] not seated in the chamber will occupy seats in either the members’ or ministerial lounges, to follow the proceedings on the TV screens. The [MPs] shall not change allocated seats,” the communication reads.
Parliament Chief Public Relations Officer, Ian Mwenye, confirmed Parliament setting up the guidelines whose aim is to facilitate “a well-organised conduct of parliamentary business during the budget meeting”.
Among others, the lawmakers are expected to set a date for the fresh presidential election after Attorney General Kaphale denied Malawi Electoral Commission and Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament’s proposal that the poll should be held on June 23.
Kaphale argued that the two entities have no legal mandate to set a date for the fresh election.
