Kabwila petitions Malawi Speaker to kick out UDF MPs

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Member of Parliament for Salima North West Dr Jessie Kabwila has petitioned office of the Speaker of the National Assembly, asking it to kick out the 11 United Democratic Front members of Parliament who recently moved to government benches.

Kabwila:  Petitions Speaker of Malawi Parliament to crack thw Sec 65 whip on UDF MPs in government benches
Kabwila: Petitions Speaker of Malawi Parliament to crack thw Sec 65 whip on UDF MPs in government benches

Kabwila said on Friday that she has decided to join human rights defender and a social commentator   Billy Mayaya who recently petitioned the same office on the same matter.

“I don’t have any personal grudges against the UDF MPs but Malawi voted for democracy which requires total constitutional order,” Kabwila told Nyasa Times on Friday.

Kabwila, who is also MCP spokeswoman, said there is no way the single party can belong to both opposition and government.

“Where have you heard one party belonging to two sides- opposition and then the government? Even in America or Britain that cannot happen; this is completely disorder in the house of law.

“There is an identity crisis here, how should we identify the two camps,” queried Kabwila.

Human rights activist Billy Mayaya, wrote the Speaker asking him to bring orderliness in the august House by kicking the eleven MPs out of the House.7

But Attorney General (AG) Kalekeni Kaphale urged Speaker Richard Msowoya not to unleash the whip on UDF MPs, he saying he was not convinced UDF MPs crossed the floor.

The Malawi Law Society (MLS) secretary Khumbo Soko said the decision whether or not to declare a seat vacant is “exclusively for the Speaker’s and not for any other authority or office.”

The constitution bars members of parliament from crossing the floor in parliament by joining the party that is different from that which ushered them into parliament.

UDF argues that its MPs remain in the party and have not joined DPP but they two parties were having a parliamentary alliance.

Eleven of UDF’s 14 MPs moved to the government benches to cement their party’s working relationship with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in whose Cabinet UDF president Atupele Muluzi is serving as Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security.

Former UDF leader in Parliament Lucius Banda, Second Deputy Speaker Clement Chiwaya and Muluzi were not affected by the movement.

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CHOKO
CHOKO
9 years ago

Kabwira is intelligent who can compare with in govt of thieves. She is correct sanity is important in August house and those threatening Kabwila should try deal with Kabwila will move out of this city.

Moni
Moni
9 years ago

When one is blinded with hate, he/she fails to understand reason and blames anybody on the contrary view, including misunderstanding meanings of laws as well as advisor. Mr. Kaphale is being censored by MCP’s UDF haters for doing his role of advising the speaker. The law of the land puts Attorney General as an adviser of Parliament, and the office of the Attorney General is responsible for any litigation towards parliament. In other words, the Attorney General, is Parliament’s lawyer. As a lawyer of that house, the attorney office advised the head of parliament regarding some laws, and MCP people… Read more »

Chingaipe
Chingaipe
9 years ago

Kaphale is definately acting ultra vires. If his role is to advise the Speaker, then it is not his role to usurp the Speakers role by making proncouncements on his behalf, or indeed preempting what the Speaker’s considered constitutionally vested opinion should be. What now stops Kaphale from making parliamentary rulings on behalf of the speaker. Stop this abuse of power you people!

CASH MBALA
CASH MBALA
9 years ago

In any democracy that has parliamentary system of government there are two sides, Left wing having the opposition and right wing having the party with most MPs after parliamentary elections. At the beginning of their term the ruling party negotiates with other parties to sit together to form a majority in their side to ease pressure from the left wing during debates and voting. Movement of the MPs from either side after earlier decision is deemed “crossing the floor”. In Malawi we tolerate MPs to move at any convenient time available depending on which side of bed they slept the… Read more »

mapwiya
mapwiya
9 years ago

Did u vote for Atupele …uko ku lilongwe answer No…., Did u add acoun to his campaign …No, What was ur reaction to TUPEX CANDIDACY Aaaa ndi baby wachepa…Now HE has decided to support gvt in abit to sail through his plans and nomwenu mukuti walakwisa.Zakumachende eti !!.He used his money and let him recover all his costs and he owes no one including u hule Kabwira ..Kapena umakhala pamwamba ukamagona ndi amunako pa mnyero wako….Mnyero ndithu ukhale kwa iwe lero ndi kunthawi zosatha…pamnyero pako

mapwiya
mapwiya
9 years ago

So u r the one behind Mayaya kkkkkkkkkk..Mcp will never rule Malawi again….

Moni
Moni
9 years ago

Why can’t she petition/sue the Speaker himself for consenting to the UDF’s request of its MP’s to sit on the other side? UDF asked if it’s permissible in the house to sit on the government side, and the Hon. Speaker granted that request “after wide consultation” (as he did put it) when permitting UDF to sit on that side it is today. When today we see MCP people including a NEC member petitioning, for the issue which was granted by the Speaker of Parliament, who’s also the party’s Vice President, one is inclined to wonder if the Speaker’s permission to… Read more »

DUMISANI CHIMPHANJE
DUMISANI CHIMPHANJE
9 years ago

Masasa Masina, I have liked your question. bird s of the of the same feathers flock together. one question we should ask ourselves is why move physically? Right now UDF HAS NO Leadership position in all parliamentary committees, they can not respond to Presidential address because they are on the govt`s side . This speaks volume. On who should petition the speaker to invoke section65,? the standing orders clearly say a member of parliament shall move the speaker and probably any member who feels betrayed. So KABWILA IS RIGHT . Malawians, lets not expose our ignorance.

Boyd Kilembey
Boyd Kilembey
9 years ago

Would UDF MPS attend DPP National convention? Would they seek positions during the DPP conventions. These MPs have not joined another party. They have just decided to work with DPP but are still UDF. They have not crossed any floor.
MCP needs to be serious on these matters. This is the same issue that made Tembo unpopular when he ganged against DPP when Bingu was in power.
Let PP fight their own fights against DPP and UDF.

masa masina
masa masina
9 years ago

Political prostitution. Is UDF sharing a bed with DPP or sleeping with DPP?. UDF is finished as a political party.

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