The Democratic Progressive Party has defended the position taken by its Secretary General, Hon. Peter Mukhito, following remarks made by Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Sameer Suleman during his September 2, 2026 press briefing.
The DPP’s position is clear: Hon. Mukhito was not attacking Parliament. He was defending constitutional order.
Malawi is governed through institutions with defined mandates. Parliament has the power to scrutinise government, summon officials, demand documents, question expenditure and hold the Executive accountable.
That power must be exercised firmly.
But oversight is not the same as criminal investigation.
When the Speaker said Parliament should “behave like police especially on following up public resources,” he crossed an important institutional line.
The Malawi Police Service investigates crime. The Anti-Corruption Bureau investigates corruption. The Auditor General audits public finances. The Director of Public Prosecutions exercises prosecutorial authority.
Parliament must hold these institutions accountable, but it should not appear to replace them.
That is the principle the DPP Secretary General defended.
And he was right to do so.
The Speaker also announced that parliamentary committees would examine a wide range of issues, including NOCMA fuel transactions, electricity, passports, pensions, prisons, mining, agriculture and tobacco.
These are legitimate matters of public concern.
Parliament has every right to ask hard questions about them.
But such scrutiny must be grounded in parliamentary procedure, clear committee mandates, fairness and respect for institutions already entrusted with investigative responsibilities.
The country must never be left with the impression that institutions are competing for authority.
Nor should parliamentary oversight appear to be driven by personalities, political disagreements or private interests.
This is particularly important where sensitive matters such as tobacco are concerned.
There has already been public debate around Eastbridge and individuals previously associated with it.
Whether those allegations are ultimately proved or disproved, the existence of such questions places a higher duty on public office holders to ensure that every process is visibly impartial.
Transparency must be beyond doubt.
Procedure must be beyond reproach.
Oversight must never appear personal, selective or retaliatory.
That is why Hon. Mukhito’s intervention was necessary.
The DPP supports a strong Parliament.
It supports committees that interrogate public expenditure, expose wrongdoing and demand accountability.
What it does not support is the blurring of constitutional responsibilities.
No institution becomes stronger by assuming the mandate of another.
No democracy is strengthened when Parliament appears to become investigator, prosecutor and overseer at the same time.
And no senior public office holder should regard legitimate correction as an attack.
The same constitutional discipline applies to everyone: Ministers, MPs, law-enforcement agencies and the Speaker himself.
The DPP therefore rejects attempts to portray the Secretary General’s statement as hostility towards parliamentary oversight.
It was nothing of the sort.
It was a call for Parliament to be strong within its mandate, Police to perform police work, the ACB to perform anti-corruption investigations, the Auditor General to audit, and prosecutors to prosecute.
That is not weakness.
That is constitutional government.
Speaker Suleman still has an opportunity to clarify his position.
He should reaffirm that Parliament’s role is to scrutinise, inquire and recommend, while allegations of criminality or corruption are referred to the institutions legally mandated to investigate and prosecute them.
Such clarification would not weaken the Speakership.
It would strengthen it.
The DPP’s position is therefore about principle, not personality.
It is about protecting Parliament by protecting the Constitution.
It is about ensuring that public institutions cooperate instead of competing.
And it is about reminding everyone who exercises public power that authority comes with boundaries.
Malawi does not need institutions fighting over power. It needs institutions respecting the law, performing their mandates and working together for the people.
That is the position Hon. Peter Mukhito defended.
And on that principle, the DPP stands firm.
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