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MPs pocketing allowances without attending plenary

A growing number of legislators have been absconding sittings of Parliament in the ongoing budget meeting despite pocketing allowances for nine weeks in advance.

The Business Committee of Parliament has since mandated its secretariat to find out how other parliaments in the region deal with absenteeism after noting that the behaviour is becoming rampant.Parliament_2014

As it stands now, if a member of Parliament (MP) is absent from a sitting without good reason, Parliament does not act on them.

Sitting allowance is paid at K10 000 (US$22) per day and subsistence allowance at K40 000 (US$89) daily. The MPs’ basic pay is at about K600 000 (US$1 333) a month.

The Nation observed on Monday and Tuesday this week that after one hour of sitting in the afternoon, there were only six out of 18 Cabinet ministers on the front benches while the government side, which includes independent MPs and 11 United Democratic Front (MPs), had less than 35 MPs.

The opposition side fared no better, with Malawi Congress Party (MCP) being the major culprit while the People’s Party (PP) bench had a small share of absent MPs.

In the Tuesday morning sitting, which is allocated to questions to ministers for oral replies, only two questions were addressed because MPs and responsible Cabinet ministers were not present.

Speaker of the National Assembly Richard Msowoya confirmed yesterday that he has noted high absenteeism levels during this budget meeting. He said he has since met with leaders of political parties, urging them to instil discipline in their members.

He said: “So far, the Business Committee has tasked the secretariat to explore measures which other countries are using to encourage attendance of Parliament meetings.”

In his communication to the House dated June 8 2015, Msowoya observed that attendance of plenary and committee meetings was the hallmark of representation in the House and this could not be achieved if members were absent.

This was the second time for the Speaker to address absenteeism, but there has been no improvement.

Leader of the House Francis Kasaila, who represents the government side of Parliament, also confirmed that even after the Speaker expressed his concern on two occasions, there is no improvement.

He said: “As a party we introduced a registry, so when our members come in, they tick against their name, we remind them at party caucuses that the information will be compiled at the end of the meeting and given to leadership so that as a party we can decide what should happen to them.”

But Kasaila could not concretely state what action the party would take against its members who absent themselves from the House without reason.

On his part, MCP chief whip Lobin Lowe also confirmed calling for a meeting with its members in the House to instil disciplinary measures.

He was, however, defensive on the absence of the MCP members, arguing that the situation was not so bad as on the government side.

Governance commentator Chris Chisoni said the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), which he heads, last noted high absenteeism of MPs in 2010 and a recommendation was made that allowances should only be paid out at the end of the week.

He said: “We have since observed lack of discipline on the part of the MPs. Parliament does not want to be accountable and transparent to the people who put them there because no action has been taken on these recommendations.”

Chisoni proposed that a naming and shaming citizen’s court was one way of improving attendance of MPs in the House.

The Speaker and Parliament secretariat are failing to act on the errant MPs even though Standing Order 41(3) states: A member who is absent without seeking leave of absence shall forfeit all allowances during the period of absence.

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