NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ADJOURNS

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000343

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/S ADRIENNE GALANEK


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ADJOURNS


1. SUMMARY. The National Assembly adjourned on
Wednesday April 13 after meeting for eleven days. The
two major issues during the sitting were the National
Assembly's rejection of President Mutharika's choice for
head of the Police and a motion to prohibit MPs from
changing parties. The major moment of agreement was when
all MPs agreed to increase the amount of funds for the
Malawi Rural Development Fund (MARDEF) from MK 1 billion
to MK 5 billion. Most of the issues on the National
Assembly's agenda were left unaddressed, mainly because
the GOM lacks a working majority to push its agenda to
completion. END SUMMARY.


2. The two major issues during the sitting were the
National Assembly's rejection of President Mutharika's
choice for head of the national police and a motion to
amend section 65 of the Constitution. The National
Assembly rejected President Bingu wa Mutharika's choice
for Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Mary Nangwale.
During a roll call vote 88 MPs voted against her
confirmation, 83 voted for, and 8 abstained. (NOTE:
Nangwale is the first female head of Police in Malawi
and was appointed in June 2004; she had been carrying
out her duties without parliamentary confirmation.
Shortly after Parliament voted her down, Nangwale
obtained a court injunction prohibiting her removal from
office on procedural grounds. End Note.) The Nangwale
confirmation took up so much time that the session had
to change its adjournment date from Friday April 8 to
Wednesday April 13, 2005.


3. The constitutional amendment sponsored by John
Tembo, leader of the opposition Malawi Congress Party
(MCP),would require MPs to vacate their seats in the
National Assembly upon leaving the party that sponsored
them into Parliament for a different party or for
independent status. Independent MPs will also vacate
their seats upon joining a party in the Assembly.


4. The major moment of agreement was a strong vote to
increase funding for the Malawi Rural Development Fund
(MARDEF) from MK1 billion to MK5 billion. MARDEF is a
micro-loan scheme aimed the rural poor; it is to be
funded by leveraging dormant accounts in the Reserve
Bank of Malawi. The need for Parliamentary approval of
the scheme has been a point of contention since the idea
was introduced last year. Led by the opposition, MPs
mandated the Parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee
to oversee MARDEF's activities to ensure the funds are
not used for politician gain. As a practical point, the
funding mechanism will not extend beyond the originally
conceived MK 1 billion; GOM officials privately admit
that the fund is not likely to exceed MK 1 billion even
after the coming fiscal year.


5. COMMENT: Most of the issues on the National
Assembly's agenda were not tackled, mainly because
President Mutharika's supporters lack the working
majority needed to push the agenda through quickly. The
bitter debate over the police chief's confirmation cost
Parliament the time it needed to deal with other issues,
such as an anti-money laundering bill, a securities
regulation bill, and an amendment of the penal code.


6. While the lack of efficiency in this sitting is
regrettable, it does show that Parliament is evolving
into a more active policy-making body. In its recent
history, Parliament has been far more compliant, doing
more or less the president's bidding (with the notable
exception of extending former President Muluzi's term
limit). At this point, the opposition has shown that it
can stop the government from pushing through its agenda
and that it can introduce initiatives of its own. The
next sitting may show whether the legislature can
maintain a lively debate and get its work done.

GILMOUR