ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a strong three-party scenario that emerged in Malawi in 1994, with the establishment of multiparty democratic order where the opposition could participate fairly effectively in exercising their accountability role through the parliamentary committee system. It analyses the Malawian Parliament’s oversight role during the critical junctures and draws conclusions on the prospects for it to play this role more effectively. A myriad of factors impede the objectivity and efficiency of parliamentary committees in countries like Malawi, including lack of technical expertise, inadequate resources and various types of pressure from administrative officials and party leaders. The strained executive–legislature relations impeded the functioning of the legislature in many ways like curtailed sittings of Parliament, and less frequent meetings of parliamentary committees. In a political system where patronage and clientelist practices are deeply imbedded, there are an abundance of opportunities for corruption in the bureaucracy and in wider political circles.
