This
site is designed for Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator versions
4 and above and a screen resolution of at least 800x600
|
|
|
Well done, Balaka MP
By
Our Reporter - 10-06-2002 |
|
|
Balaka North UDF Member of Parliament Symon Bwanali’s candour in attributing the food shortage the country faced this year to government “poor policies” brooks no argument.
Making his contribution to President Bakili Muluzi’s state-of-the-nation address, the MP said, among other things, poor policies of the government and lack of coordination between it , the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) and Admarc caused and worsened the hunger situation in the country.
There is nothing special about this statement because some people have said it before. What is positively peculiar about it, though, is that it is coming from an MP from the ruling party, something that is rare in our political landscape.
What is not rare is our MPs always making their contributions in Parliament strictly based on their party affiliations. Those on the government side always backing government policies while MPs from the opposition side saying a resounding ‘no’ to everything put forward by government.
This is not ideal because it beats conventional wisdom. There is no way government can always get it wrong just like it would not be possible that it gets everything correct. This calls for honesty coupled with the interests of constituents at heart as benchmarks to determine the contributions MPs make in Parliament.
True, MPs should be loyal to their parties but the loyalty should not compromise their duty to truly represent their people in the House by always labouring to please their parties. They should always aim for the bigger good that transcends the political divide.
It is in this regard that Bwanali’s sentiments put a plus on his part because he spoke in the interest of not only his constituents but the whole country. It should signal a new dawn when our MPs would be the voice of the voiceless on issues that matter in people’s day to day lives.
We can only hope that the government will not brush aside the MP’s suggestions to involve MPs in the distribution of the 240,000 metric tonnes of maize aid to starving households to ensure transparency and accountability just like it will likewise check unscrupulous trading of maize to control prices in the coming months. |
|
|
|
|
|
