Ex-Speaker says State capture extended to parliamentary committee

Former Speaker of parliament Davis Katsonga has blamed lack of transparency and corruption on failure by most parliamentary committees to conclude crucial investigations.

His comment comes at a time when the Legal Affairs Committee of parliament is probing how land for a public school at Livimbo in Lilongwe was allegedly sold to a Malawian of Asian extract and other similar cases across the country.

Taking it to social media, Katsonga says the parliamentary committees have been infiltrated by the very people committees investigate from time to time.

“As I write, I have no doubt parliamentary committees have been compromised by corrupt big business and deep state,” says Katsonga.

He says once a committee starts to look into a case, they have to concentrate on it until it is resolved.

The former Mwanza central legislator says currently, cases have been mysteriously left in mid-air without a vote or conscience on the floor of the committee, saying the chairperson and the deputy decide.

“No transparency. No vote and just as the committee is about to get to the end of their investigations and make recommendations to the people of Malawi, you hear there is another urgent matter to look into,” says Katsonga.

He says the committees have been captured by big businesses and deep state, saying this must be unraveled and stopped in the interest of democracy and justice.