“Form four drop outs should not be ministers”

Speaker of Parliament Henry Chimunthu Banda on Friday ruled out of order Member of Parliament for Nsanje Central Francis Kasaila who dressed down  minister of tourism Rachel Zulu calling her a “form four drop out” and suggested that time had come for the cabinet to only have people with higher qualifications.

Chimunthu Banda brought back the issue from Tuesday where minister of tourism, in an altercation over the Nsanje Port's progress with Kasaila, told the presiding speaker that she wanted to “educate” Kasaila who instantly countered with the remark that sent the house into chaos.

“Madam deputy speaker, it is naive for somebody, a form four drop out, to say that she can educate a graduate, it is naive, I think it's high time that those who are appointed to cabinet should be people with high qualifications,” said Kasaila as quoted by the Hansard.

Deputy leader of the house Anita Kalinde pitched a point of order amidst insults issued in vernacular and general higgledy piggledy and she faulted Kasaila for “demeaning” the minister and for mentioning high qualifications as a condition for attaining a ministerial post which was against the constitution.

Kasaila was also accused of practicing chauvinism and disrespecting the deputy speaker on account of her gender. He refused to withdraw the remarks as requested and said he would only do that after he saw the Hansard to see if he was indeed being mean to Malawian women.

Chimunthu Banda in delivering a ruling faulted Nsanje Central for use of unparliamentarily language  contrary to standing order number 85 (3B and D).

“Although this is the opinion of the honourable member which he is indeed entitled to but we should be aware of section 94 of the republican which stipulates that it is the prerogative of the president to appoint any person into cabinet as long as the person is citizen of the republic of Malawi and he or she is able to speak and read the English language,” said Chimunthu Banda.

When Nsanje Central was thus promptly asked to withdraw his remarks having being found guilty and this time, he promptly did, within five seconds of being asked to do so.

Chimunthu however also faulted the minister of tourism saying her saying she wanted to “educate” Kasaila was unfortunate.