NAP backs Parliament’s oversight push

**LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-**The National Advocacy Platform (NAP) has backed Parliament’s move to strengthen oversight of public institutions, while cautioning against exceeding constitutional mandates.

Addressing the news conference Saturday September 5, 2026, both NAP Chairperson Benedicto Kondowe and National Coordinator Baxton Nkhoma said the organisation welcomes the decision announced by Speaker of the National Assembly Sameer Suleman on September 2 to advance Parliament’s response to citizens’ concerns over public services, rights, economic opportunities and the management of public resources.

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NAP said the initiative affirms Parliament’s constitutional responsibility to represent citizens and hold public institutions accountable for their actions.

The organisation particularly welcomed the Speaker’s call for parliamentary committees to become “engines of change, not just forums of debate”, saying citizens should have confidence that concerns raised before Parliament will be properly investigated and addressed.

However, NAP stressed that the Speaker’s powers are not the same as those collectively vested in the National Assembly, warning that parliamentary oversight must be exercised within the Constitution and Standing Orders.

The organisation said Section 53(5) of the Constitution requires the Speaker to exercise the powers of the office independently while respecting the express will and Standing Orders of the National Assembly.

NAP also cited Standing Orders 153 and 154, which provide procedures for dealing with committee competence and matters involving committees with overlapping mandates, saying procedural integrity is essential for effective parliamentary oversight.

The advocacy platform further welcomed the Speaker’s acknowledgement that allegations currently before Parliament have not yet been established as facts.

It has therefore called for the inquiries to be conducted fairly, transparently and on the basis of evidence, with affected individuals and institutions given an opportunity to respond to allegations against them.

NAP has also warned that Parliament should not take over the functions of institutions mandated to investigate criminal conduct, prosecute offences or deal with maladministration.

It says where investigations reveal possible corruption, criminality or maladministration, the matters should be referred to competent institutions, including the Malawi Police Service, Anti-Corruption Bureau and Office of the Ombudsman.

According to NAP, the success of the parliamentary inquiries should not be measured by the number of hearings or reports produced, but by whether they lead to lawful corrective action and tangible improvements in public institutions.

The organisation has consequently urged Parliament to conduct the inquiries with independence, professionalism, fairness and transparency, stressing that Parliament must provide oversight, competent authorities must act within the law and Government must ultimately deliver for Malawians.

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