‘Backbenchers are not useless’: Chimwendo Banda defends MP moved for praising President - Malawi News | Breaking News, Politics, Business & Sports | Nyasa Times
Dowa East MP and Secretary General of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Richard Chimwendo Banda, has come out fighting in defence of backbenchers in parliament, forcefully rejecting suggestions that being. . .
Dowa East MP and Secretary General of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Richard Chimwendo Banda, has come out fighting in defence of backbenchers in parliament, forcefully rejecting suggestions that being relegated to the back row diminishes an MP’s political standing or their duty to serve the nation. The seasoned politician laChimwendo Banda slams parliament seating row as MP demoted for Mutharika praiseunched his robust defence after the opposition side of the House controversially moved a fellow lawmaker to the backbenches, in what appeared to be a punitive response to comments the MP had made praising the Head of State. Chimwendo Banda didn’t hold back in criticising the move, insisting that seating arrangements in parliament should never be weaponised as a tool to demean or punish members simply for expressing their personal political views. The MCP chief scribe was clear on the rules governing the chamber, explaining that Standing Orders specifically designate frontbench seating for Cabinet Ministers alone, who occupy those positions in order to account for government business on behalf of the executive. “Sitting on the backbenches in Parliament does not mean a Member of Parliament is useless or unimportant,” Chimwendo Banda declared firmly. He went further still, stressing that no parliamentary regulation exists to justify penalising or sidelining MPs by shifting their seating as a form of political retaliation. “The rules of the House strictly designate frontbench seats for Ministers. There are no parliamentary regulations that support penalizing or marginalizing MPs by shifting their seats over personal political expressions,” he said. Chimwendo Banda reiterated that every elected representative, regardless of where they physically sit within the chamber, carries an equal constitutional mandate to represent their constituents and contribute meaningfully to debates shaping the nation’s future. His remarks are likely to reignite debate over the increasingly tense political atmosphere within Malawi’s National Assembly, where seating arrangements — traditionally a matter of procedural formality — appear to be emerging as yet another flashpoint in the country’s deepening political divisions. The incident also raises fresh questions over how parliamentary conventions may be informally used to signal disapproval or dissent within party ranks, particularly as political tensions continue to simmer ahead of the country’s next electoral cycle. Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :Follow us in TwitterPost navigation