Parliament dismisses Nankhumwa’s clarity on labour export to Israel

By Vincent Gunde

Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani-Hara on Tuesday dismissed allegations which was made by Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa that the Government of Malawi has agreed to send young Malawians to go and join the Palestine-Israel War.

In her ruling, Gotani Hara said the so- called evidence which the Leader of Opposition submitted in Parliament does not in any way supports his assertion that Malawi Government is sending some youths to join the said war.

Nankhumwa and Speaker Gotani Hara



Gotani Hara ordered the so-called evidence brought by the Leader of Opposition be withdrawn and such utterances be expunged from the record of the House met on November 23, 2023.

“I order the so-called evidence brought by the Leader of Opposition and the Hansard that captured this matter be circulated to all Hon. Members and members of the press,” reads Gotani-Hara’s ruling on the matter.

In his comment, Pioneer of Mindset Change Project Bantu Saunders Jumah, said it is sad that the same Government which released a statement proving Nankhumwa’s allegation right that it has embarked on labour export to Israel, booing Nankhumwa for exposing the secret deal.

Jumah said all Malawians are suspicious on the purported labour export to Israel because it was done in secret and had it been Nankhumwa not revealing it, no Malawian would have to come to know that Malawi is exporting labour to Israel except only the families approached for the secret deals.

He said the Parliament particularly those sitting on the Government benches made Nankhumwa to look stupid for exposing the secret deal reminding Malawians that History is the best teacher that Malawi started sending its youths to Israel in 1963 who graduated into a notorious armed wing of the Malawi Congress Party-Malawi Young Pioneers (MYP).

The Mindset Change Pioneer observed that silence by the MDF and Malawi Police Service (MPS) on the MCP training its youth at Mtakataka Police Training College in Dedza is a grave concern and is speaking for itself that democracy in Malawi is under threat.

“In 1994 Malawi made a declaration that never again shall the country go back to one party state and dictatorship and no political party is entitled to have its own military youth, where is the MCP getting all of these powers” said Jumah.

He therefore, demanded the Malawi Judiciary to clarify in the Constitution where there is a clause that political parties must own armed wings training its youth at a government institution advising Malawians to remember the blood of people that brought in the hard-won democracy in Malawi.