MCP insist on summoning Mutharika to face Malawi MPs grilling: Parliament opens Nov 6

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) insist that they want to grill President Peter Mutharika in parliament as part of accountability politics, saying he should oblige to the constitutional requirement.

President Mutharika will perform the State opening of 46th Session of Parliament on November 6 at Parliament Building in Lilongwe, according to Speaker of the National Assembly, Richard Msowoya.

The meeting will run up to 4th December, 2015.

MCP wants Mutharika to face His Excellency’s Question Time (HEQs) style-session since holding the executive to account is one of the three responsibilities parliament.

The question time grilling for the President would be led by leader of opposition and MCP president Lazarous Chakwera.

Chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament, Peter Chakhwantha, has since said if President Mutharika fails to appear before Parliament, he will be accused of “higher moral turpitude” which is an impeachable offence.

But, Attorney General (AG) Kalekeni Kaphale has said Parliament should draft the agenda of the President answering questions from the lawmakers if it was necessary and invite the Head of State.

According to Section 89 (3) of the Constitution, the President is required to submit himself before Parliament without necessarily being invited by anyone as he does with the State of the Nation Address.

The call for HEQs have received backing from the civil society with Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) executive director Timothy Mtambo and rights campaigner Billy Mayaya, saying Mutharika should appear before Parliament.

Malawian professor of law based at the University of Cape Town, Danwood Chirwa, clarified that the President does not have to be called by Parliament for him or her to answer questions posed by MPs for the HEQs.

Chirwa said the President “is constitutionally obliged to appear before Parliament every year, immediately before the consideration of the budget, to do [the said] three related things.”