Africa-Press – Malawi. What happened in Parliament on the very last day of the mid-term budget review, December 16, 2022, is simply unacceptable and sets a very bad precedent for the august House. We were told that the opposition block wanted one more matter to be dealt with before the House was to adjourn, a business that the government side did not include on its agenda for that particular day.
Amid the stand-off and seeing no other way out, we are told the Leader of the House moved a motion to adjourn the proceedings since, on their side, they felt that most of the important issues they had had been dealt with. This did not amuse the opposition side one bit and seeing that it was in line with the standing orders, Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara was left with no choice but to curtail deliberations and adjourn the House as requested.
You should have seen some legislators, in typical schoolboy fashion, booing and chanting songs directed at the Speaker as she made her way out of the chamber, leaving the House in suspense since it was not a smooth ending of what had otherwise been a productive meeting in which the legislators endorsed the revised K2.85 trillion budget.
The Speaker of Parliament is no ordinary person and, as such, deserves all the respect from both sides of the House. At all times, we, the plebians, expect that the Speaker would rein in errant legislators and ensure order in the House. It was a bad day in the history of the country and I can only hope there won’t be a repeat.
I would not want to be dragged into the debate of who was right or who was in the wrong, but suffice to say that the image projected out there to the people who, by the way, actually gave the legislators a ticket to Parliament, was not good and certainly not befitting people who consider themselves ‘honourable’.
What point am I driving at? Parliament is not only a house of records but also a house of procedure and, as such, members of Parliament ought to carry themselves in a manner that is befitting of the status of the House and not what they displayed on that ill-fated day.
We should not be like some other parliaments elsewhere, where legislators regularly turn to fist fights once a misunderstanding erupts on the floor. And we can, and we must, do better.
The key elements of democracy include conflict resolution and concern for equality and justice, participation as well as accountability and, as such, no one should gag or bar anyone from speaking out that which they feel is paramount to the general public. Similarly, nobody should feel entitled or more Malawian than others to break set protocol on the pretext of championing what Malawians want.
Tolerance is the only way through which our democracy can grow. If we learn to be accommodative of each other regardless of our political affiliations, I am certain we can move mountains. Let the behaviour of our honourables be parliamentary.
Watch that pocket
Once again, the festive season is here and, as has been the norm, many people are bound to ‘over indulge’ in some of the well-laid out activities; well-laid out in the sense that some have been planning the activities and eyeing this particular season for a long time. It is quite sad that some people decide to go overboard and eventually end up in hot soup, and this is quite common during Christmas and end-of-the-year parties. We must avoid this at all cost; it is senseless to lose the reputation you have worked so hard to carve out over a long period in just a matter of hours or seconds.
My simple advice is to encourage each one of us to watch our behaviour and spending habits during the festive season. We must remember that at the end of the period, there will still be bills to pay; school fees, fertiliser, rent, household needs and assistance to extended family members.
Let us remember to extend a helping hand to those less privileged and, most importantly, keep in mind that it is not by our might or making that we are still here. Wishing you a Merry Christmas. Happy holidays!
For More News And Analysis About Malawi Follow Africa-Press
