Sameer, Chimwendo thrown out of House: DPP lawmaker causes drama

Speaker of the Malawi National Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara on Thursday temporarily threw out Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Member of Parliament for Blantyre City South West, Sameer Suleman for misconduct and also ordered Dowa East MP Richard Chimwendo Banda (Malawi Congress Party-MCP) out of the House for misconduct.

But there was total chaos when Suleman defied the Speaker’s order after she invoked Section 105  (3) of the Standing Orders on Sanction Against Disorderly Conduct which  says that if a member is named, the Speaker may direct that he or she be suspended from the National Assembly for two sitting days from the time of suspension.

Suleman even defied the defied the Sergeant-at-Arms and took off his jacket in protest to the order, forcing parliament to call for additional security to use force in evicting him.

This triggered total chaos in the House as heckling between the opposition and government members of Parliament (MPs) heightened, forcing Speaker to suspend the House.

Suleman has been ordered to return to the House after two-day suspension.

Suleman provoked the wrath of the Speaker when he stood on a point of order to contribute to a question  Lilongwe City South East legislator  Ulemu Msungama (MCP)( asked on what government planned to do with the 7 000 metric tonnes of maize that got rotten under the  wartch of State produce trader Admarc.

He said the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculutre and Irrigation  which he chairs had already addressed  the matter in its report and proceeded to provide recommendations made by his committee which thw Speaker found Suleman’s conduct disorderly.

DPP legislators demanded Speaker to  remove MCP’s Chimwendo Banda from House following his similar misconduct on Wednesday and also using Section 105 of the Standing Orders.

“The member from Dowa East has conceded that he did something wrong. The difference is that Standing Order 105 was not used. That is where the differene was and why the sergeant at arms did not come to take the member out  [of the House].

“Today [Thursday[, I did specifically order the member out. But since the member has conceded he did wrong, I, therefore, orer Dowa East to be suspended just like Blantyre City South East for two days,” said the Speaker.

Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi standing on a’ point of praise’ hailed Speaker for her objective discharging of her duties.