Parliament has postponed to February 22 its Mid-Year Budget Review Meeting initially scheduled for February 8 to allow the institutions put in place measures to safeguard legislators and staff from Covid-19.
Both Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara and Parliament spokesperson Ian Mwenye separately confirmed the development yesterday.
During the interview, the Speaker said the decision to postpone the meeting was made in consultation with President Lazarus Chakwera following a meeting of the Business Committee of the House on Tuesday and yesterday.
She said: “It has not been cancelled, it’s postponed for two weeks. Coming up with those measures of tackling the pandemic are probably the reasons we have failed to do it on Monday.
“We still need to ensure we fulfil the constitutional duty while ensuring the security and safety of measures which is paramount.”
Gotani Hara said Parliament was working with some development partners to procure technology which will allow the House to meet safely.
She said that while virtual meetings could not be ruled out, members of Parliament (MPs) may also be spread in other makeshift chambers to allow physical distancing.
“People might ask why we are postponing the meeting now when we had time to prepare, but the reality is that while we were planning for the meeting, the pandemic escalated and it required us to respond appropriately. We want to procure a few things, especially IT machines,” the Speaker said.
While not giving specific figures on the number of legislators infected by Covid, the Speaker said a number of lawmakers have been infected.
“I can only confirm that we have been affected but we need to consolidate the figures. We also have to consider the issues of privacy and confidentiality. It is not only MPs, staff too have also been affected. This is why we need to tread carefully on when and how we can meet,” said Hara.
On his part, Mwenye said the House will now meet on February 22, but said the Business Committee—which works out the business presented in Parliament and comprises leadership of parties in the House—will continue to assess the situation.
At the centre of the predicament facing the committee is whether the House can meet amid a surge of cases across the country and among MPs, in particular.
Parliament sources confided earlier this week that at least 10 MPs have tested positive and are in quarantine. They said the deaths of two legislators last week was another factor influencing the consensus towards a postponement.
One of the proposals on the table, according to one source privy to the meeting, is that the House should be closed for three weeks and then assess the situation after the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for the positive cases.
Covid-19 last week hit the Malawi Parliament for the second time in two weeks when it killed two legislators, John Chikalimba of Zomba Changalume Constituency and Jacqueline Chikuta of Ntchisi North Constituency.
The death of the two MPs means that Parliament has now lost three legislators to Covid-19 after Lingson Belekanyama of Lilongwe Msinja South Constituency, who died on January 12 2021.
Belekanyama, who served as minister of Local Government, died the same day and barely hours apart with his then Cabinet colleague Mohammad Sidik Mia (Transport and Public Works) who was also Malawi Congress Party first vice-president.
First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Madalitso Kazombo, Minister of Labour and Kasungu Central legislator Ken Kandodo and Attorney General Chikosa Silungwe were diagnosed with the Covid-19 and have since recovered.
In all, six members of Chakwera’s 31-member Cabinet were in earlyJanuary confirmed positive Covid-19 cases. Two died while four recovered.
