President’s 4th Date with MPs
President Lazarus Chakwera yesterday faced Parliament for the fourth time in his first year in office and tackled sticky issues raised in his second State of the Nation Address (Sona).
Dressed in a two-piece black business suit complemented with a white shirt and a red necktie, the President, visibly at ease, also drummed up support for the country’s long-term development plan, Malawi (MW) 2063, saying his administration will push for an amendment to the Political Parties Act to include a clause requiring all political parties to articulate in their manifestos the priorities outlined in the document.
He said: “They [political parties] will also propose what to do to achieve the targets whether in government or opposition. This will ensure that all such governing blueprints as party manifestos, Sonas, and national budgets are aligned with our collective quest to become an inclusively wealthy middle-income economy by the time Malawi turns a hundred.”
Chakwera said he believed the proposed amendment to the Political Parties Act to incorporate the national development plan will ring-fence the strategy by ensuring parties include national priorities in their election campaign promises.
Responding to probing questions, including one on what his administration was doing to address energy imbalance in the country, the President said
government had lined up 14 hydro, solar and wind energy projects expected to add 1 000 megawatts (MW) to the national grid within the next four years.
He said out of the 19 power generation projects, 15 projects are due for completion this year with the rest scheduled to be up and running between 2023 and 2025.
Chakwera said: “This is not a wish, but rather a report based on the projects, both public and private [investments], we have in the pipeline to increase electricity
generation and supply in the country in the short to medium term.
“This does not even include the 350MW power project at Mpatamanga or the 41MW power project at Mbongozi or the 90MW power project at Songwe because although these are projects we are pursuing, their expected date of completion is beyond 2025.”
In terms of job creation against his Tonse Alliance administration’s ambitious target
one million jobs, a key campaign pledge. He said he would provide data at a later stage while generally stating the administration had created the jobs.
Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa was conspicuous with his silence while Mangochi South West MP Shadr ic Namalomba (DPP) was rebuked by both Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara and Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda for accusing the Speaker of not allowing Nankhumwa to ask questions.
Chimwendo Banda, who is also Minister of Homeland Security and Dowa East legislator, argued that Nankhumwa was free to ask questions as any other MP in the House.
Section 89(3)(c) of the Constitution provides that “the President shall each year, immediately before the consideration of the official budget, attend Parliament and shall: (c ) respond to questions”.
Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu is scheduled to table the 2021/22 National Budget in Parliament this Friday.
Besides two President’s Question Time series, Chakwera has now availed himself in Parliament for the second time to respond to lawmakers on issues raised in his Sona. He first responded to issues raised in his maiden Sona delivered on September 4 2020.
Since the adoption of the 1994 Constitution following the change of political system to multiparty democracy, Chakwera is only the second President to appear in Parliament to answer questions. The country’s first multiparty president Bakili Muluzi (1994- 2004) appeared before Parliament while his successors Bingu wa Mutharika (2004-2012), Joyce Banda (2012-2014) and Peter Mutharika (2014-2020) never honoured the constitutional provision
