Political analyst Victor Chipofya has asked lawmakers to discuss substantial issues and take parliamentary deliberations seriously.

Chipofya made the call following a request by Lilongwe South East legislator Steven Malondera that the House should consider buying them raincoats because they get soaked in the rains when entering the chamber.

According to Chipofya, there are far much pertinent issues that parliamentarians can discuss because millions of Malawians look up to them to make decisions that are critical to the development of this nation.

“Parliamentarians are there to make laws that will govern the country, and spearhead development but most of their deliberations are really nothing to do with law making, there are very few times when an MP brings about changes in laws that are developmental,” Chipofya said.

But Chipofya said he blames the lack of seriousness by some parliamentarians on the criteria for becoming a Member of Parliament on who becomes an MP saying the current threshold needs to be revisited.

“The threshold is that one need to be 21 years old, with at least a Malawi School Certificate of Education and speak English ,I feel this is very low of a standard for  someone who is going to be in parley  to be making laws  to develop the country so when deliberations are poor it doesn’t come as a surprise.”

“I know there are other people of another school of thought that say that if the bar is to be raised ,to say that the thresholds for one to become an MP should be a diploma or a first degree they would say you are practicing elitist politics of which I argue to say that we are 18 million people in this country who are represented by 193 people and we really need to choose the crème of the crop for them to be making laws for us because they represent our desire for a better Malawi,” Chipofya said.