There has been a persistent argument that leaders of political parties must have hands on experience of legislative structures.
For instance, incumbent President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika and former President Lazarus Chakwera once served as Members of Parliament in their respective constituencies representing their political parties.
Arguably, that stint in the National Assembly must have given them an idea or two of how laws are made and oversight, implemented and in extension helped them make informed decisions while serving in the high office.
Similarly, United Democratic Front’s Atupele Muluzi, Enock Chihana of Alliance for Democracy, Kondwani Nankhumwa of Peoples Development Party are some party leaders who by now know how Parliamentary issues are handled having either served or still serving as MPs.
One, then, has to feel sorry for Dalitso Kabambe who gave it a shot at last September’s election when he contested for a parliamentary seat for Masambanjati Constituency in Thyolo. Sadly, he lost and missed a chance to understand some of the dynamics of what happens around recurrent budget estimates to all government service points.
That missed opportunity for a parliament seat meant he has to learn of the mandate of the August House via the media or other third party avenues like a majority of countrymen and women.
His argument in his Zodiak Broadcasting Station interview that President Mutharika’s foreign trips must be audited is both ignorant and laughable.
One would expect Kabambe to understand that the Office of the President is accorded own expenditure lines in the national budget, by extension covering all State Residences. Parliament deliberates, debates and finetunes all budget lines one by one for weeks on end before adopting the blueprint in its totality.
Mid-year, the House reconvenes to review the budget and make necessary amendments as required and guided by standing orders and the law.
Even if he wants to skirt around these procedures, Kabambe should also be the first to know that the state has its own auditing apparatus headed by the National Audit Office (NAO).
The auditing department has systems that periodically goes around all the cost centres where government money was allocated in the national budget. The purpose of these tours is to undertake auditing after which everything is reported and distributed as guided by the law.
It then beats common wisdom when Kabambe feigns ignorance by demanding quasi-audits that could only override already existing government systems.
If the Presidential trips really bother him then he can simply wait for NAO reports at the appointed time to understand how they were funded and the corresponding expenditure. These reports are always public and can be accessed by anyone through all means.
What is even more troubling is the fact that the UTM leader is bothered by a mere five trips when this country has had political leadership that has abused the privilege of travel.
Comparatively, Mutharika is the least travelling President Malawi has ever had. He had time and again reminded Malawians that he will always curtail travel in the spirit of austerity amidst a tight expenditure budget by government. Save for the five trips he has undertaken in his second term, he only did 12 international trips between 2014 and 2020.
The story is different with other men and women who have served Malawi in the same capacity.
Lazarus Chakwera had undertaken around seventy-two (72) foreign trips when he left office in 2025 while Joyce Banda did twenty two (22) in two years. First post-one party President Bakili Muluzi is said to have travelled 38 times outside Malawi during his reign.
Instead of commending such deliberate gestures by the Malawi leader, Kabambe has chosen to venture into a moral contest which seeks to unearth details that are not for public consumption.
A private trip, duly communicated as one by the Office of President and Cabinet, should be treated as such in respect of the rights and freedoms exercised by the holders of that particular office.
Having clocked over four years as a politician and a quarter of that time as party leader, Kabambe should have learnt that agitation for policy issues must always be guided by the provisions of the law in how the state machinery operates.
Malawians will only hope that he learns the ropes sooner than later.
