|
House’s priorities are upside down
In the beginning was a word and the word was that Parliament would convene for two weeks. Then the Business Committee of Parliament said let the House meet for three weeks so that it can discuss 14 bills.
Then after meeting for three weeks, the House only managed to dispose of just about half of the business it set out to transact. Then the Committee said again let the House sit for a fourth week.
My bet is that the one week extension will not add up to anything. At least not the way our Parliament operates. For all their polarisation, MPs always unanimously speak with one voice on anything that helps them to elongate their stay at Parliament. There can only be one reason why a sitting that is initially planned for two weeks is extended to four.
The question is what planning goes into preparations for the House’s sittings? What is the job of the Business Committee headed by the Speaker—with leaders of opposition parties as members in the House—whose task is, among other things, to set the agenda and budget time for the sittings? This body is supposed to thoroughly thrush out issues on a sitting’s agenda and work out how much time and money will be needed. From what we have seen so far, with the many extensions of sittings, it is clear that this committee is doing the House and us the taxpayer who finance the meetings, no justice.
Take the current sitting, for example, which in my view has been a complete waste of time and money. That is, if we consider the work done against the resources spent. The House wasted a whopping seven days or so discussing President Bakili Muluzi’s keynote address to Parliament. This is an address which, in all fairness, was just a farewell speech, and needed to be treated as such, but it was given a lofty name: a state-of-the-nation address. God forbid. A state-of-the-nation address is only delivered once during a session of Parliament—during the opening of the budget sitting.
Now does anyone know why the opposition never raised an eyebrow as the House spent days on end as members praised or chided the President’s speech? All MPs stood to benefit from the elongated sitting in terms of allowances. What with K6,000 a day per MP for 21 days!
All this spendthrift coming against the background of promises to be more prudent with finances. Didn’t we hear on a certain day as few as 43 MPs out of the 193 were in the House. Most of them I assume were angry that they had not been paid their allowances for 10 days. Due to lack of a quorum, the House failed to conclude discussions on certain crucial issues. Yet whether or not the MPs stayed away, they will still get all their pay.
My heart bleeds when even our representatives in the opposition fail to rise above their personal interests to criticise the way business in the House is being conducted.
Now hear this. The work schedule in the House needs to be revisited to enhance efficiency and cut down on costs. Our Parliament behaves as if it is a son of a rich man who can decide whether or not to work, to work half a day or a full day.
There is absolutely no reason why Parliament should only sit for half a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I am told MPs asked to meet only in the afternoon on Mondays because they retreat to their homes during weekends and most of them only return to Lilongwe on Mondays. My foot. I thought when they are at Parliament, they are paid for seven days a week for food, lodge and everything!
I understand Parliament does not sit on Wednesday afternoon because that is the time the President is supposed to avail himself to the House to answer queries from the House. But can anyone tell me when the President last went to Parliament on a Wednesday. Why not devote the whole day on Wednesday to serious business except on those days the President will decide to show up at Parliament?
I am told Parliament only convenes for half a day on Friday to allow MPs to travel back to their bases in the afternoon. Why then pay them allowances for food and lodge for the whole weekend?
Our Parliament is so wasteful because all MPs, both on government and opposition side benefit from their long stay at Parliament. This is an insult to us taxpayers. The House has its priorities upside down.
|
