Speaker backs down: Suleman says listen to President Mutharika

Speaker of the National Assembly Sameer Suleman has refused to take on the President, and says Parliament will not challenge his decision to postpone the sitting planned for November 9 to December 11.

Suleman says he has taken no action against the President.

“I think we should listen to the President. What he is seeing could be for the good of the country. The money saved could help in responding to areas he mentioned,” he said.

He has since issued a letter announcing the postponement.

It is a deferential position, and not one that will settle the argument.

The Malawi Law Society has written to the Speaker urging him to reconsider and follow its advice. It argues that the postponement is unconstitutional, and it is not alone in doubting the decision.

Justin Dzonzi, a legal expert, believes the move can be tested in court.

Under administrative law, the decisions of public officers are open to scrutiny, he says.

The courts would ask two questions: did the President have the power to make the call, and did it serve the purpose it was meant to serve?

The distinction at the heart of the row is a fine one, and Benedicto Kondowe, a legal analyst, draws it carefully.

“Postponement ordinarily implies that a meeting will take place later, whereas cancellation means it will not proceed as scheduled or at all,” he says.

“However, postponement without a definite resumption date creates uncertainty, particularly where the meeting serves an important constitutional oversight function.”

That uncertainty is the real cost. For now, the Mid-Year Budget Review is on hold, and no date has been set for MPs to return to the business of scrutinising the government’s spending.

In a country where the money is tight and the questions are many, that silence is itself a story.