Girls Work Hard In School To Achieve Your Dreams- National Assembly

Chambo girls pose with Speaker and Legislatures

The National Assembly asks girls to remain in school and work hard in their education to achieve their dreams.

The message was said on Tuesday when 94 girls from Chambo Girls Private Secondary School in Mzimba had a rare opportunity at Parliament Building of interacting with Speaker, some cabinet Ministers and female legislatures.

Kaliati speaks to the girls

In their encounter, Chambo girls were offered some motivation talks on how to pursue and achieve their dreams and some female legislatures made recounts of how they defeated challenges in their lives to become what they are today. One legislature said her family could not provide her with school fees for the belief that it could be a waste of time educating a girl who will possibly get married to rich men in future. Others narrated how in the face of financial challenges but worked hard to pursue education.

Msowoya 

Speaker of the National Assembly, Richard Msowoya, Minister of Gender, Patricia Kaliati, Minister of Sports, Grace Chiumia, former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri, and Jessie Kabwila were among number of legislatures who inspired girls with words of encouragement on self confidence and hard work in school for them to become future leaders.

Kabwila, Msowoya, Nyalonje 

The girls were brought by Mzimba North Legislature hon Agnes Makonda Nyalonje who wanted to offer Chambo girls a platform where they can meet with role models to get some words of motivation on how they can pursue and achieve their dreams.

Agnes Nyalonje said organized the visit to expose the girls to number of role models so that they learn from them how they managed to become leaders in their society.

Mzimba North Legislature while encouraging Malawian girls to work hard in school, offered hope that National Assembly and female parliamentarians as well as education committees in particular, are working hard to ensure that education system is improved to enable girls to access to quality education.

“We are also fighting for the girls hostels, because we know that when girls have to walk 10 kilometers or even longer sometimes to go to school, there is no way we can expect them to stay focused when they get to school and there is no way we can expect them to attend school all the times” said Nyalonje

She also noted the recently passed Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations bill which safeguards welfare of girls as one way the National Assembly is protecting and ensuring that girls remain at school.

“There are programmes being undertaken by Government and NGO’s that empower girls and encourage them to stay in school including bursaries.” She added

Then she offered a word of encouragement to girls “My message to girls is focus on education, push those around you to give you opportunity. Sometimes it is not always about waiting to be given it but girls too have to take initiative and they have to believe in their selves, and they have to have confidence, to claim that which is theirs and never give up” encouraged Njalonje

Rachel Vachi

“When I came here I was so much encouraged by the speeches that we need to have self confidence and that we can do anything but we should not be flirting with boys but love school first.” Said one student Rachel Vachi

She added “Watching deliberations in the Chamber I got encouraged by the courage that female parliamentarians have. They speak boldly on issues of national importance in the face of men.”

Wendie Chimbayo

Another student Wendie Chimbayo said “As the parliamentarians have told us that the sky is the limit, I would like to encourage girls that we have to work hard in school because doing so we can achieve anything. We also need to stay focused no matter how big are challenges that we are facing, lets aim to achieve our goals.”

National Assembly Muted From Commenting On Arrests Of Late Msiska’s Children

A lot of parliamentarians from opposition benches on Wednesday evening were taken by surprise when Minister of Justice and Constitution Affairs told the House that no more debate on arrests of Children of former legislature for Rumphi North, late Tasoka Msiska as the matter is now in the hands of Court.

Minister of Justice, Samuel Tembenu said two children of Msiska were indeed in custody and appeared before court on Wednesday but one child is still at large.

Then Tembenu said since the case is in court, therefore standing order 14 of the House prevents the legislatures from debating on the matter.

On matters before a Court of Law, Parliamentary Standing Order 192 states that “Subject to the right of the Assembly to legislate on any matter, a matters awaiting or under adjudication in any court of record shall not be referred to in motion, debate or question from the time the case has been set down for trial or otherwise before the court, if there is a real danger of prejudice to the trial of the case.

This rule shall cease to have effect in any case when the verdict and sentence have been announced or judgment given or, in any case where notice or appeal is given, the appeal has been decided.”

But most of the opposition members looked to be annoyed that they do not have power to question the Minister of Information over the issue which is regarded political.

New Amendment Oblige Banks To Send Credit Information To Credit Reference Bureau

The National Assembly has passes an amendment bill that oblige by the law, all Persons lending and financial institutions like banks and to provide to the Credit Reference Bureau with repayment history and current debt profiles of Persons and Companies.

On Tuesday evening the House passed Credit Reference Bureau Amendment bill with overwhelming support from main opposition parties of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and People’s Party (PP).  

Credit Reference Bureau is a company that allows users to exchange information on their clients repayment history and current debt profiles which compiles a data base that collects, stores, consolidates and process information related to credit history of a person.

However, the Bureau has been failing to get credit information of individuals and companies information from banks. This has been making it difficult for the Bureau to disseminate such credit information among users for their businesses.

Minister of Finance, Goodall Gondwe when presenting the bill in the House, said when the bill was passed in 2010 “We forgot to obligate banks” to send information to the bureau of the profile of individuals and companies on their credit history and profile.

According to the Credit Reference Bureau Act of 2010, (Part II- Operations of the bureau [13 (3 A)] the Bureau may collect credit information from financial institutions and any other institution as may be prescribed by the Minister upon recommendations by the Registrar and consult public sources of information for data in official records.

“In order to obligate them (financial and credit institutions) we have to say that it is mandatory by law for them to send that information” said Gondwe 

The Act provides that the Bureau stores the credit data for a period of 7 years.

National Assembly Authorise US $60 Million Loan On Transport, Trade Facilitation

National Assembly passes a Loan Authorization bill worth US $60 million which is expected to lead to vast improvement on Malawi economies of trade and transportation.

Among terms of the World Bank loan is 10 year grace period within 40 years that will take Malawi to repay the loan. There is 0.075% of interest for the money used but with service charge of 0.5 for unused money.

The National Assembly passed the bill 'International Development Association (Southern Africa Trade and Transport Facilitation Programme Phase 2) Loan Authorisation'. 

No amendment were made but Malawi Congress party through its spokesperson on Finance matters in the House, Alexander Kusamba Dzonzi urged government to also consider improvement of water transport.

Goodall Gondwe Minister of Finance when bringing the Bill in the House, said the bill will support the infrastructure improvement of the three corridors of Beila, Nacara and Dar es Salam.

He said the project will take four years because of number of stages that are to be done that will imply more activities including train young people on issues of the clearance of commodities and various other trades that are involved in the transit goods.

On Mozambican routes Gondwe said, a rail way project is about to complete on the Nacara route and that at Beila, Mozambicans are improving the port. Thereofore he said Malawi is looking for the possibility of improving the railway from Beila to Blantyre and also improve the Chilomo bridge.

While on the side of Tanzania, the Finance Minister said the route to Dar es Salaam road are in bad state including Chiweta road. He therefore said through the loan, there are number of things that will be done to make Dar es Salaam a first class route and to make it cheep on trade route.

“But aside from that there are other services that are going to be improved. Things like transit traffic from Dar es Salaam to the South. On Songwe boarder for example you have one side which is the Tanzanian side and the other one is for Malawi. And a Transporter has to declare his goods twice.

So, this loan helps us put facilities in such a way that we are going to have one window in Songwe as well as in Mwanza, Dedza and so forth.” He said 

He added “Also in the process we are going to improve the health facilities of the people involved around there”

The project worth US $60 million loan which is close to K30 billion will take four years because of number of stages to be done that will imply to more activities including train young people on issues of the clearance of commodities and various other trades that are involve in the transit goods.

Again National Assembly Fail To Hear From Information Minister On Late Msiska’s Child Arrest

The legislatures in the National Assembly continues to mount pressure to hear from the Minister of Information regarding the arrests of the Child of former legislature late Tasoka Msiska.

The child is reportedly in police custody for allegedly fueling fracas that took place at dad’s burial in Rumphi last week. 

There, Minister of Information, Jappie Mhango was barred and chased away by an angry mob from attending the funeral ceremony. The rivalry follows Mhango’s win during the 2014 elections as independent candidate to oust late Msiska as parliamentarian for the constituency.

As the House resume sitting just after healthy tea break on Tuesday, Honorable Kamlepo Kalua reminded the Deputy Speaker of the impending matter that require the Minister of Information, Jappie Mhango to explanation to the House regarding the arrests of child of former legislature, late Tasoka Msiska. 

“The Minister should inform this House about the condition of these children who are still in custody” demands Kalua

However, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Esther Mcheka Chilenje reminded the legislature that the ruling on the matter was already made day before by the Speaker regarding the appropriate standing orders that must be used to bring such urgent matters in the House.

Chilenje asked the member follow standing order 14 which addresses how to bring into the House urgent matters.

On matters of Urgent Public Importance Standing Orders 14 states that “Any member may, after Question time, rise in his or her place and seek leave to move the adjournment of the Assembly for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent Public importance.

And continues that “A member who wishes to seek leave to the move the adjournment of the Assembly shall, at least one hour before the end of question time, submit to the Speaker a written notification of the matter he or she wishes to discuss.”

But the clause indicates that the Speaker may allow any request if satisfied that the matter; is definite, urgent and of public importance and may properly be raised on motion for adjournment of the assembly.

Then the house continued with questions to ministers for oral replies and the matter was never brought back even when the house resumed sitting in the afternoon.

Malawi To Continue With Rome Statutes Implementation

Tembenu

Malawi Government says Malawi is making positive steps in domesticating the Rome Statutes of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“We are implementing the Statutes by incorporating some of the provisions in our laws and that’s implementation. We will continue to do that until such a time that we know that look, we have done most of what we wanted to do.” said Samuel Tembenu Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs,

Tembenu was responding amid concerns from Malawi Law Society and Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) that although Malawi ratified and signed the Rome Statutes of the ICC in 1999, little implementation has been made to domesticate some provisions.

Secretary General for Malawi Law Society Khumbo Bonzoe Soko said in an interview that due to delays in domestication, Malawi has no Procedural Law that helps local courts to execute prosecution or make arrests of those that are wanted by the ICC.

On procedural laws Tembenu said “That’s not true, because it is not just a procedure it’s just an obligation where every member is obligated to do what they have undertaken to do.”

Asked about readiness of the country to arrest anyone wanted by ICC he said “That’s a thing that will happen at a right time”

Late Msiskas Child Arrest Cause Uproar In National Assembly

Commotion erupted on Monday evening in the National Assembly leading to early adjournment for Tuesday morning over reports of arrests of a child of former Member of Parliament for Rumphi North, late Tasoka Msiska.

The child is reportedly in police custody for allegedly fueling fracas that took place at dad’s burial in Rumphi last week. 

There, Minister of Information, Jappie Mhango was barred and chased away by an angry mob from attending the funeral ceremony. The rivalry follows Mhango’s win during the 2014 elections as independent candidate to oust late Msiska as parliamentarian for the constituency.

In the National Assembly, the pandemonium began immediately the house passed the Estate Duty Amendment Bill which has an element of giving good compensation to the bereaved family.

Richard Chimwendo Banda

Member of Parliament for Dowa East, Richard Chimwendo Banda rising on point of order sought clarification from the Minister of Information Jappie Mhango why he has used his authority to arrest child of late Msiska.

“We are saddened that one of the children of late Msiska has been arrested and Police are looking for the remaining children who are at large. Why are you doing this to these orphans? They have just lost their father and they need to be protected and respected as the country mourns with them.

So, in the very same spirit that government has demonstrated here in the bill we have just passed, that Children from bereaved family must benefit more from property of their parents, we are also demanding the release of the child of late Msiska” said Chimwendo who stood as Chairperson for parliamentary committee on Social and Community Affairs

He added that the arrest was political and that the Information Minister must have information relating to the arrest since him was chased at the funeral of the late father of the child.

However, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Richard Msowoya did not sustain Chaimwendo’s point of order by ruling him of out of order because the question was put to a wrong minister.

“Please use appropriate standing orders” said the speaker before ruling the member out of order. 

Msowoya said Chimwendo was out of order because Minister of Information is not a better person to clarify the matter because he is not the Minister of Home Affairs and does not make arrests.

After Speaker’s ruling, Rumphi East Parliamentarian, Kamlepo Kalua rose, insisting that the matter be discussed at length because it is of national importance. It took the speaker to put off the mic of Kalua to make him stop continuing with the matter.

Lilongwe Msodzi South parliamentarian, Vitus Dzoole Mwale also stood on the same and echoed Kalua’s point that the matter was of National Importance and need the house to discuss and hear from the Minister of Information on the matter.

The chaos prompted the Government Chief Whip, Henry Mussa to seek for an early adjournment to let the members have an ample time to read reports and bills to be discussed on Tuesday.

However, when the Speaker put the question as moved by the Government Whip, the opposition successfully blocked the proposal and continued with demands for the continuation of the matter.

Speaker then announced an early adjournment of the house for Tuesday morning after Government Chief Whip told the Speaker that there was no business to discuss at that time. 

When approached to get his views as he walked out of the parliament Chamber Jappie Mhango only said “I can’t comment anything. Go and talk to the one who brought the issue here”

In an interview, with Chimwendo said he was reliably informed by the uncle of late Msiska’s children that a child of late Msiska is in custody and that Police are hunting for other children.

He also said he is going to make a formal request to the Speaker on the same matter immediately the house resume sitting on Tuesday morning.

Late Msiska contested the 2014 tripartite elections as candidate for Malawi Congress Party after winning primary elections against Jappie Mhango. However, Mhango went on to contest for the General Elections as an independent candidate and won elections.

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