PARLIAMENT QUESTION TIME
Dr Lazarus Chakwera appeared in the August House on 17 March 2021 as per constitutional demands
Before responding to the questions, President Chakwera requested the lawmakers to observe a minute of silence in memory of two Cabinet Ministers and MPs who died due to the second wave of Covid-19.
Question:
The first question is coming from Nkhotakota North East MP who has asked president Chakwera when will duty free week , reduction of passport fees and removal of water and electricity connection fees commence as pledged during campaign period.
Response: President Chakwera in response to when his government will introduce a duty free week and reduce passport fees, he says the UTM and MCP shortlisted unique promises and later flew a flier.
He says when they took office, they decided to engage stakeholders on how to achieve most of the promises in line with achievable deadlines.
He says, once his government is ready to fulfill most promises, he will inform the nation accordingly.
Question
Nkhata Bay South West MP, Noah Chimpeni, asks Chakwera to give Malawians a list of priority within priorities which can be achieved, in the advent of various challenges, including Covid-19.
Response
In his response President Chakwera referred to the introducing the Fertilizer subsidy among others as priorities. He referred that a delay is not a deny to fulfilling the promises of Tonse Alliance.
QUESTION TIME
Member of Parliament for Zomba Lisanjala constituency Dr William Susuwele Banda has asked President Chakwera on what his government plans to do in order to ensure that the 2025 General Elections will not be marred with violence as has been the case during the past elections.
Responding to the question, President Chakwera says peaceful management of election demands proactive execution of duties by those institutions entrusted to uphold the nation in such scenarios like the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and Malawi Police Service (MPS).
QUESTION
Zomba Central lawmaker Bester Awali has asked the President as to how his government is going to address economic and business opportunity challenges to be brought about by the decision to move the Immigration Headquarters from Blantyre to Lilongwe.
In his response, Chakwera said the decision was earlier proposed by the late Bingu wa Mutharika’s administration and he will fulfil what the former late leader envisioned in accordance with the geographical setting of the Immigration Offices.
However, in his response, Awali has lamented that moving the Immigration Offices from Blantyre to Lilongwe will only make the commercial city fallout economically like Malawi’s old capital city, Zomba.
Response:
Chakwera says the decision to move the Immigration Headquarters was made by former President Bingu wa Mutharika.
He says the Tonse administration is only fulfilling late Bingu wa Mutharika’s dream as it is not in the culture of discontinuing everything just because it was started by past regimes.
He says despite the relocation of the headquarters, immigration operations Blantyre will not be affected.
Chakwera was responding to a question from Zomba Central lawmaker Mark Botomani who asked as to what plans government has to ease the economic and business challenges that would come as a result of the shift of the Immigration Headquarters