Namiwa seeks APM’s stand, defends Suleman

Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi) has sought President Peter Mutharika’s stand on DPP secretary general Peter Mukhito’s remarks opposing Speaker Sameer Suleman’s anti-corruption initiative in Parliament.

Cdedi executive director Sylvester Namiwa reminded journalists in Blantyre that Mutharika has repeatedly declared zero tolerance for corruption and maintained that there will be “no sacred cows” under his administration.

Namiwa interacts with Cdedi spokersperson Precious Thom after the briefing. | Lucky Mkandawire

“Therefore, Malawians are shocked to hear that the same DPP that spoke passionately against corruption is now against the Speaker’s initiative that is going to expose outright institutional incompetence and corruption,” said Namiwa.

On Wednesday, Suleman announced that Parliament had constituted 12 joint committees to investigate a range of public concerns in a quest to demonstrate its commitment to ensuring that public concerns are heard, public resources deliver value and institutions are held accountable for their performance.

But the move seems not to have gone down well with the governing DPP, prompting Mukhito to issue a statement on Thursday warning senior party members holding public offices to respect the constitutional authority of the President and “avoid actions that create competing centres of authority”.

Namiwa, however, defended Suleman amid what he described as “attempts by the DPP to intimidate the Speaker”.

He said by establishing the joint committees to scrutinise matters of national importance, the Speaker was acting within Parliament’s oversight mandate.

“It is for this reason that every well-meaning Malawian ought to support the Speaker in this noble cause. We strongly believe that Suleman is acting within the dictates of President Peter Mutharika’s people-centred government,” said Namiwa.

Presidential Press Secretary Cathy Maulidi was not available when contacted for comment.

According to Suleman, Parliament has a responsibility to ensure that public institutions account for their performance and national resources are used for the benefit of Malawians.

In a dramatic turn of events, in Lilongwe, a group led by Baxter Kitta and Frederick Malata calling itself ‘Mbadwa Zokhudzidwa’ called on Suleman to apologise to Mutharika for undermining his authority.

“We are surprised that the Speaker has done this without alerting or notifying the President. We feel he has failed in his duties,” said Kitta.

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