Speaker adjourns House again

Proceedings in the National Assembly were Wednesday adjourned again prematurely, to allow the Business Committee of the House to meet and cobble a way forward on the statement made available to the legislators regarding the controversial Section 65 of the Republican Constitution.

Speaker Louis Chimango told the House few minutes after reciting the House's daily prayer that the Business Committee failed to meet yesterday as it was scheduled, as a result, the committee was going to meet today.

"We adjourned the House yesterday to give you time to reflect on the statement that I made available to you and to enable the Business Committee to meet and devise a way forward. But they could not meet, therefore, we suspend the proceedings today to allow the committee to meet," said Chimango, who looked very composed on his chair.

He said leaders on both sides of the House were consulted on the adjournment. Both Leader of government in the House and United Democratic Front (UDF) Leader, Chimunthu Banda and George Nga Ntafu rose in support of the move.

However, the Speaker irked the opposition benches when he told the House that Thursday in the morning, when it reconvenes, business will start with question time.

This prompted Chairperson the Finance Committee of the House, Respicious Dzanjalimodzi, who is Malawi Congress Party (MCP) to stand up and remind the Speaker that during the consultation meeting with both leaders of the House, the agenda for tomorrow was not discussed.

"Mr. Speaker Sir, I agree that we were consulted on the adjournment, but we did not discuss about the agenda for tomorrow. We better leave that to the Business Committee to work on," said Dzanjalimodzi.

The Business Committee meeting was scheduled to take place this morning but it was postponed after President Bingu Mutharika called for a crisis-solving meeting with the opposition parties represented in the House.

John Tembo and Respicious Dzanjalimodzi (MCP), Dr George nga Mtafu (UDF), Mark Katsonga Phiri (PPM) and Charles Ulaya of Republican Party represented five parties at the meeting.

While Mutharika, and his ministers Davis Katsonga, Ken Lipenga, Chimunthu Banda, Henry Phoya and Goodal Gondwe represented the government side.

Chimango told the House on Tuesday that he was unable to act on Section 65, that empowers him to declare all seats of parliamentarians who defected to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

In a document circulated among the MPs, Chimango said his hands were tied by the injunctions that were served on him by several interested parties.