Story by ZBC Reporter
SPEAKER of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda has challenged Malawi’s newly elected parliamentary leadership to strengthen institutional accountability and democratic governance during a high-level Orientation Programme currently underway in Blantyre.
Addressing the Business of the House Committee, Speaker Mudenda described the committee as central to parliamentary effectiveness, calling it “a barometer of your nation’s democratic health and institutional maturity in Parliament.”
He warned that without a strong and balanced committee, Parliament risks becoming “a mere rubber stamp for governmental initiatives,” instead of fulfilling its constitutional role of oversight and accountability.
Advocate Mudenda emphasised that neutrality and inclusivity are fundamental to the legitimacy of the committee, stressing that “the impartiality of the Chairman is absolutely non-negotiable” and must be “beyond question, beyond reproach and beyond partisan consideration.”
In a separate presentation on leadership communication, Speaker Mudenda said effective parliamentary democracy depends on disciplined and regular engagement, noting that “the authority of the Chair rests upon two pillars: strict adherence to procedure and clear communication of that procedure to all Members.”
He further highlighted the African philosophy of Ubuntu as a corrective to overly adversarial parliamentary cultures, saying it “reorients Parliamentary communication away from adversarial tenets towards collaborative problem-solving, anchoring legislative discourse in our shared humanity.”
Speaker Mudenda proposed practical reforms to enhance parliamentary performance, including regular leadership coordination meetings, structured communication frameworks and continuous capacity-building. He also revealed that the Parliament of Zimbabwe is in the process of establishing a Training Academy and expressed readiness to collaborate with Malawi and other regional parliaments.
His participation in the programme underscores Zimbabwe’s commitment to parliamentary diplomacy, peer learning and democratic consolidation within the Southern African region.
