Malawi Parliament to introduce information centers in districts
The National Assembly says it has plans of establishing Parliamentary Information Centers (PICs) across the country as one way of bringing parliament closer to the people.
Chairman for the PICs taskforce team Joseph Njovuyalema said this on Tuesday in Mchinji, when his team was briefing the Districts heads of departments on the issue.
He said the PICs will serve as resource centers and fora for parliamentarians and constituents.
“The offices shall be public places and open to all, they will be meeting places between an MP and the constituents,” he said.
Njovuyalema said it is pathetic to note that Malawi is the only country without these offices in the SADC region.
“I have visited so many countries in Africa and have seen these offices, the whole SADC region has the offices but here we do not have, our friends in Zambia just here at Chipata have the offices, but we do not have them,” he said.
The funding for construction of the PICs is expected to come from the National Assembly budget and development and Cooperating partners. Institute for Parliamentary Support in Africa will furnish the offices.
According to Dr. Clement Chiwaya a member of the task force, each constituency is supposed to have the office to provide information to the communities.
The PICs taskforce will roll out the process of constructing the PICs concurrently in all 193 constituencies across the country and communities are expected to contribute in the process by molding bricks.
