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| National |
| Njobvuyalema, Atupele retain positions |
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by
Zainah Liwanda, 16 May 2007
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02:39:16
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Government should brace for more tough times ahead following Tuesday’s re-election of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) MP Joseph Njobvuyalema and United Democratic Front (UDF) MP Atupele Muluzi as chairpersons for the Public Appointments and the Legal Affairs committees of Parliament, respectively.
Leader of business in the House Henry Chimunthu Banda said government will sit down with its MPs in the various committees to find out how the voting pattern was like before commenting on the appointments.
Mulanje Central MP Brown Mpinganjira was elected Njobvuyalema’s deputy, replacing People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) vice-president Mark Katsonga Phiri, while Mzimba Solora MP Getrude Mkandawire was chosen second vice-chairperson.
Njobvuyalema, who is MP for Lilongwe Mapuyu South, was also elected Muluzi’s deputy in the Legal Affairs Committee, while Blantyre South West MP Gerald Mponda is second vice-chairperson.
Former Finance Minister and deputy leader of UDF in Parliament Friday Jumbe was on Monday elected to head the Budget and Finance Committee with MCP MP for Kasungu South Situsi Nkhoma as his deputy.
Parliament public relations officer Leonard Mengezi confirmed Muluzi’s re-election yesterday but said he did not have official information about the Public Appointments and the Budget and Finance committees elections. He said he just heard reports of Jumbe and Njobvuyalema’s elections.
Jumbe took over as acting chairperson from Minister of Economic Planning and Development Ted Kalebe after his appointment as Deputy Finance Minister.
Members of the two committees confided in The Nation that Njobvuyalema and Jumbe were elected chairpersons of the two committees.
Political analyst Blessings Chinsinga said election is a game of numbers, saying it is not surprising that Njobvuyalema and Muluzi retained their positions since the two parties—MCP and UDF—have been working together.
Chinsinga said the outcome of the elections indicates that although many MPs joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the party remains weak in Parliament.
He, however, said government should work hand-in-hand with the committees to avoid a replica of what happened previously, especially with rejection of nominees to diplomatic missions by the Public Appointments Committee.
Chinsinga suggested that the best approach would be for government to consult the opposition on appointments. He said consultation may not necessarily mean taking the opposition views but they would be seen to be part and parcel of government.
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