admin
Elliot Ziwira Senior Writer
A delegation from the Malawi parliament arrived in Zimbabwe yesterday to exchange notes with representatives of the National Assembly and Senate.
The team, which is on a four-day study tour, arrived at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare yesterday shortly before 2pm, led by Speaker of the National Assembly of Malawi Catherine Gotani Hara.
They were welcomed at the airport by Senate Deputy President Michael Nyambuya and chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade Cde Webster Shamu.
In an interview, Speaker Gotani Hara expressed high expectations on their visit to Zimbabwe, saying Zimbabwe’s democracy and parliamentary representation had come of age.
“We are coming, as the business committee of the Parliament of Malawi, to visit our colleagues in the Parliament of Zimbabwe,” she said.
“Our expectation is that we will learn from our colleagues here. As you know, Zimbabwe has got vast experience in how they have run their democracy, and how they have been running their Parliament.
“So, we are coming to learn how our friends here conduct business in Parliament, how they are able to run their parliament.”
Representative government pervades modern politics with every country in the world having a form of parliamentary representation. There are two categories of parliamentary systems: bicameral (having two chambers of parliament), and unicameral (having one chamber or assembly).
Out of the globe’s 193 countries, 114 are unicameral and 79 are bicameral. Zimbabwe, whose parliamentary system is split into National Assembly and Senate is bicameral.
The Althing, the Icelandic Parliament founded in 930 AD is the oldest parliament still meeting.
It is this philosophy of equal representation that the Malawian delegation, led by Speaker Gotani Hara, would like to tap into.
She said they hoped to share with their Zimbabwean colleagues what they were doing as the Malawi Parliament using their ties as members of various groupings, such as the International Parliamentary Union, whose principles are hinged on reciprocity.
Speaker Gotani Hara said Zimbabwe and Malawi, which are both SADC members, share long cordial relations in terms of the executive and the legislature.
“We just may be different because of the borders, but we feel we are one family. Also, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Jacob Mudenda has been very supportive.
“I am new in terms of speakers in the SADC, but he has been supportive in making sure that we find our feet,” she said.
The four-day official visit will see the Malawi delegation paying a courtesy call on Ambassador of Malawi to Zimbabwe Mwayiwawo Mclloyd Polepole today, before meeting National Assembly Speaker Advocate Mudenda, and Senate president Mabel Chinomona later in the day.
The delegation will also meet Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda for a briefing on the management of business in the National Assembly and its committees as well as the Senate.
The team will later tour the National Heroes Acre and the Museum of African Liberation in Harare. Tomorrow, the team is expected to meet the leader of Government business in Parliament who is also Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, and leader of the opposition Senator Douglas Mwonzora, to be apprised on their roles in facilitating the business of the National Assembly and Senate.
Later on, they are expected to be briefed on the facilitation of the legislative agenda by Attorney General, Advocate Prince Machaya, and observe the National Assembly and Senate in session.
Online Reporter