Governing and opposition parties in Parliament have said they are committed to work together to pass laws that will serve the interest of Malawians.

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa and Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda made the commitment on Wednesday during the launch of the 2021-2026 Parliament of Malawi Strategic Plan which details how the legislative, oversight and representative functions of Parliament will be improved.

Chimwendo Banda said they will prioritise laws that have the potential to improve the lives of Malawians through creation of jobs and provision of a conducive environment for entrepreneurship.

Hara (L) flanked by Ribeiro (C)
and Nankhumwa

“We will work tirelessly to review archaic laws that are detrimental to our development process as a country. In this process we will not forget the youth, women, colleagues with various disabilities and other sectors of our society,” he said.

On his part, Nankhumwa called for a vibrant oversight role of Parliament that will make it harder for people to swindle public resources.

“For a long time, we have been approving financial loans to fund projects which have not brought the expected outcomes to Malawians. In this strategic plan, we want to see that every loan is put to its intended purpose and for the benefit of the people,” he said.

Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani-Hara emphasised the need for government and the opposition to work together to achieve the common goal of uplifting the welfare of Malawians.

“This can be achieved if we decide not to remain silent when our constituents are in abject poverty. We need to speak out when health and education services are deteriorating,” she said.

United Nations resident coordinator Maria Ribeiro said she was pleased that the new strategic plan speaks to what everyone wants Parliament to do and achieve, including effective representation of the people and oversight functions and management of financial resources.

This is the fourth strategic plan that Parliament has developed since 2006.

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