Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi on Tuesday avoided answering questions on Malawi Police Service promotions and staff houses, suggesting that legislators should submit formal questions to the House.
During question time to the minister, various members of Parliament (MPs) asked what the ministry was doing to improve the welfare of police officers, including the state of their official houses.
The supplementary questions were derived from a question Chikwawa West MP Susan Dossi (independent) asked the minister to consider renovating and maintaining Chapananga and Changoima police units and houses.
Dausi responded that plans were underway and that the mentioned police establishments would be considered.
However, this did not go down well with the MPs with some suggesting that the minister did not mean what he had told the House.
Lilongwe City South West MP Nancy Tembo (independent) wondered why the minister did not provide satisfying answers.
She said: “I think the minister is answering haphazardly on the construction of the houses and police stations. Do you perhaps have a programme we can follow?”
In his response, Dausi insisted government has a work plan being followed.
But this response did not convince Mzimba Solola MP Jacob Hara (Malawi Congress Party-MCP) who wanted to know if it was in order for the ministry to mistreat police officers who before elections were told that they were promoted, but after elections were told that they are not yet promoted. In an interview later, Dausi refused to comment on the status of the 10 000 police officers’ houses project that President Peter Mutharika promised in 2014.
