Parliament To Meet Early In 2017: House Adjourns Sine Die Today

The Malawi National Assembly is expected to meet much earlier next year possibly in February to allow the House do away with the business which could not be finished during the Meeting which has come to an end today.

Access to Information Bill Passed

The much anticipated Access to Information Bill has finally been passed by the Malawi National Assembly Wednesday night.

Malawi Churches Say No To Abortion, Same Sex Marriage: Petition Parliament

Thousands of Christians, Muslims, Rastafarians and others from various denominations have held national wide peaceful march this Thursday asking the Malawi National Assembly to throw off proposed abortion bill and same sex marriage legalisation once they happen to find their way in the House for deliberation.

Catholic MPs Asked To Protect Life

Fr. Henry Chimkanda 

Malawi Catholic legislators have been asked to be defenders of life which is now facing threat particularly from legislations that are proposing termination of life for unborn babies.

Malawi Broadcasting Houses To Play 70% Local Music: New Act Passed In National Assembly

Hon Mary Navicha

The Malawi National Assembly has passed an Act requiring all local broadcasting houses play 70 percent of local music and 30 percent foreign music.

Hon Ngumuya Pushing For Legislation For More Local Music Airplay In TV, Radios

Allan Ngumuya

Blantyre City North legislator, also veteran musician, Allan Ngumuya says is bringing again in the National Assembly a motion which seeks development of policy that will require all Malawi media broadcasting houses play more local music in order to enable home artists collect enough proceeds from Copy Right Society of Malawi (CoSoMa).

Uladi Give Reasons Why MPs Slept In Parliament

This is a very rare honest confession from a Malawian politician over a blander as one of the leaders for the opposition party gives more possible reasons why himself and fellow Parliamentarians had to take a nap in the Chamber.

Chakwera Says Muluzi Case, MCP Legislators Wasting Resources

Malawi Congress Party President (MCP) and Leader of Opposition Parties in Parliament, Lazarus Chakwera has asked Government to drop all cases answering former President Bakili Muluzi and allow former President Joyce Banda come back home.

Chakwera was speaking when making statement before the adjournment of the National Assembly meeting Sine Die on Friday evening.

2016/17 Budget Meeting Of Parliament Meeting Ends

The Third Meeting in the 46th Session of Parliament has ended this evening after meeting for 9 consecutive weeks to consider the 2016/2017 Budget.

National Assembly meeting which began on Friday, May 20 was initially planned to end last week on Friday, July 8, 2016 but due to delays during the passing of Budget, Government decided to extend the meeting time to allow the House discuss and pass bills.

Malawi Artists To Reap From Their Work As Copyright Bill Passed By Parliament

Artists in the country expect concerned parties to take up their responsibility in ensuring that the newly passed Copyright bill start to bear fruitful results that will benefit the owners of talent and artistic works.

The Copyright bill has been passed on Thursday repealing a Malawi Copyright Act of 1989 to respond to new developments regarding copyright.

Access To Information Bill Finally Presented In Parliament

Access to Information Bill (ATI) has finally been presented in the National Assembly today.

Minister of Information, Patricia Kaliati presented the bill which has since been referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Media, Information and Communication and Legal Affairs Committee.

Confirmed; National Assembly Meeting Extended

Msowoya announced the extension of time 

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Richard Msowoya and Leader of House, George Chaponda have finally confirmed that the house will continue meeting up until Friday next week.

Penal Code Amendment Bill of 2016, Courts Amendment Bill Passed

Tembenu

The Malawi National Assembly on Friday passed the Penal Code Amendment bill with an aim of addressing the ongoing attacks and killings of persons with albinism as well as protecting persons with any type of disability.

The legislation is proposing life sentences for those found guilty of unlawful exhumation of human corpses particularly remains of persons with disability with intention of having the body tissues to sell or use them in any witchcraft practices.

Penal Code Amendment Bill Proposing Life Sentences, Minimum 21 Years

The Penal Code Amendment Bill of 2016 is proposing life sentences with a minimum of 21 years imprisonment for convicts found in possession, selling, extracting or exhuming tissues of living or dead person.

The bill has just been presented by Minister of Justice and Constitution Affairs, Hon. Samuel Tembenu and is now being debated by the National Assembly.

The principle objective of the bill is to amend the Penal Code, in the wake of attacks on persons with albinism.

Budget Meeting Of National Assembly Extended To Next Week

Impeccable sources have disclosed that it is more likely that the National Assembly will continue meeting up until next week as the ongoing 3rd Meeting of 46th Session of Parliament for budget was expected to end this Friday after meeting for a period of eight weeks.

Sources at Parliament say a recent meeting resolved extension of the Meeting up to next week.

No Hope For ATI This Friday

There is little hope that the much awaited Access to Information Bill will be debated this Meeting of the National Assembly as the 3rd Meeting of 46th Session for Budget ends this Friday afternoon.

Leader of House, George Chaponda also has since expressed doubt that the bill will be discussed on Friday saying there are so many important bills on the Order Paper.

Catholic MP’s Urged To Walk The Talk

Fr. Jana giving the Holy Eucharist 

Catholic legislators have been asked to represent their words with action in their spiritual and political life.

Reverend Father Henry Chimkanda made the call on Tuesday in his homily as he was celebrating the Holy Mass at the Parliament building with legislators.

“We fail to walk the talk” observed Fr. Chimkanda 

Invest In Large Scale Farmers - Opposition Parties

Opposition Parties in the National Assembly says Malawi can eradicate its perennial food shortages if Agricultural programs and resources are invested to large-scale farmers and not resource poor farmers.

The observation follows US$60 million loan authorization bill on International Fund for Agriculture Development Programme for Rural Irrigation Development which has been passed by Parliament on Tuesday evening where the main beneficiaries in the loan are 19, 500 poor households from number of districts across the country particularly in most areas affected by drought and 12, 300 hectares will be under irrigation through the project.

Independence Celebrations Fever Force House Shot Down Time Extension

              Its Time Up Honorables!

The Legislators on Tuesday evening left Bill No. 17 of 2016: Courts (Amendment) unfinished as members were rushing home to begin the two day holiday after sitting time was over.

Malawians are celebrating Independence Day Holiday this Wednesday while on Thursday, Muslims will be celebrating the Eid Ul-fitri and both days have been declared holiday.

Malawi Communications Law Now Responds To New Developments

Kaliati: this will lead to communication improvement 

The National Assembly on Tuesday has repealed Communications Act of 1998 and replaced it with Bill No. 24 of 2015: Communications which responds to vast changes, upgrades and development in the Communications Sector which rendered the repealed law somehow irrelevant.

New bill has been passed after several consultations and lengthy scrutiny by the Committee on Media, Information and Communications, in which the bill was referred to following its debate in the House on March 1, 2016 after it was brought by the Minister of Information, Communication Technology and Civic Education.