Chakwera deprived constituents right to parliamentary representation

Malawi Congress Party (MCP), which has majority opposition seats in the House following the disputed May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections, had its president Lazarus Chakwera  forced to refund the allowances he drew without attending any parliamentary session.

Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara – who is also executive meber of MCP –   succumbed to the pressure from the general public to force Chakwera refund the allowances.

Chakwera has not attended any parliamentary session depriving his constituents a right to representation in the National Assembly.

Many people have been questioning the decision by Parliament to continue giving allowances to someone who has been absconding from his duties.

MCP and Chakwera have  refused to accept the legitimacy of governing Democratic Progress Party (DPP) leader Peter Mutharika as the President.

But Chakwera was not disputing parliamentary elections therefore he had no valid reason not to attend parliamentary session.

He paid back the allowances on Tuesday 11th February 11, 2020.

During the opening of the first meeting in the 48th Session of Parliament, MCP members of Parliament (MPs) showed a vote of no confidence in President Peter Mutharika’s presidency when they openly called him wakuba (thief) and walked out during the presentation of the President’s first Sona since the contested May 21 2019 poll.

The protesting MPs left bottles of Tippex on their tables, symbolising that Mutharika had won his second term with the aid of Tippex which was used to alter election results sheets.

MCP’s Lobin Lowe was elected Interim Leader of Opposition as Chakwera continue parliamentary boycott.