PAC wants MPs voting powers removed in Councils
Public Affairs Committee (PAC) says decentralisation and democracy can be consolidated in the country if members of parliament’s voting powers at councils is removed.
PAC spokesperson Peter Mulomole said recently in Zomba that the Local Government Act needs to be reviewed so that members of parliament should not be allowed to vote during council meetings.
“We haven’t moved very far on this one. This is retrogressive. I am not the bill (seeking to amend the Local Government Act) has not even reached parliament, it is still with the cabinet,” said Mulomole.
The plain talking PAC official wondered why this was taking time to review the Act in order to remove the voting powers of the legislators at council meetings when, he said, this was an obvious Constitution issue.
“These are the same people who voted for decentralisation in 1998. As a country, we should put in place what we believe in,” said Mulomole.
He said if laws are not corrected now, the future generation would inherit what he described as a broken democracy.
“We sent our MPs not to disfigure our Constitution. If they refuse to review the Act, we will go to the streets to demand our rights,” he warned.
There was no immediate comment from parliament, the seat of the members of parliament.
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