No Independent bloc in Parliament

There is unlikelihood to have a bloc of Independent Members of Parliament in the newly elected Malawi Parliament that is to be inaugurated next week Friday.

Mathews Ngwale, who won on an Independent ticket, said in an interview the issue of Independent MPs working together and having one voice in Parliament is not as simple as one may think.

“This issue is personal and very difficult to determine,” said Ngwale an academician and businessman-turned politician.

“Independents in Malawi come from somewhere; there are very few people who start from day one to be Independent,” Ngwale explained.

He said many of the Independents were frustrated by their parties and then decided to stand as independent.

These people stood as independents because they trusted people from their parties to support them if they stood as independents wondering how one would continue to be independent in Parliament under such circumstances.

According to Ngwale this would make it difficult for the 55 independent MPs to work as a bloc in the august House.

However, Ngwale admitted to have attended a meeting called by the DPP of all independent MPs at BICC during an MPs orientation workshop trying to woo back those MPs they claim to be theirs.

Ngwale predicted that very few Independent MPs would remain as such when Parliament starts sitting.

Another Independent Member of Parliament, Isaac Kaneka from Blantyre West said he was frustrated by his party during the primaries and won the elections on an Independent ticket.

Kaneka concurred with Ngwale that he has to make a personal decision now that he won whether to go back to his party or remain as an independent.

He also believes that independent MPs will go back to their parties which has been evident at the on-going orientation workshop for MPs.

Emmanuel Chirwa an independent MP for Mzimba Luwerezi  also agreed that it will be difficult to have an independent bloc in Parliament as many of them came from other parties.

Sharing is caring!