Dedza Mulunduni legislator and former Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu has asked Parliament to give him an opportunity to testify before the committee investigating the 2024 Chikangawa plane crash.
Kunkuyu says people with relevant information should be allowed to place their evidence on record.
He has made the request in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament dated September 22.
Kunkuyu also questions the exclusion of Mwanza Central and Mulanje West MPs from the committee’s list of witnesses.
He says the two MPs are believed to possess information that could be relevant to the inquiry.
“The nation deserves an inquiry in which all relevant voices are heard and all material information is properly placed on record,” Kunkuyu says.
Kunkuyu says he raised concerns when the parliamentary committee was being formed over the inclusion of Mwanza Central MP.
According to Kunkuyu, the MP had previously appeared before the Commission of Inquiry that investigated the crash.
He says the Speaker had indicated that the MP could temporarily relinquish his position on the parliamentary committee and testify when the opportunity arose.
Kunkuyu says the Speaker based the assurance on his own previous experience.
He says the Speaker had, while chairing the Agriculture Committee, temporarily relinquished his position to provide evidence before an investigating committee.
Kunkuyu argues that the same principle should apply to MPs who have information relevant to the plane crash.
He says excluding such witnesses could leave important questions unanswered when the committee presents its findings to Parliament and the nation.
Kunkuyu is particularly concerned about a claim by the Mwanza Central MP that he was unable to give his complete testimony before the previous Commission of Inquiry.
He says Parliament should establish whether the information the MP intended to provide has already been presented by another witness if he cannot appear before the current committee.
Kunkuyu wants the committee to establish who presented the information and when it was presented.
He also wants the committee to determine whether the issues were fully explored through questioning.
Kunkuyu questions whether relying on another person’s account can offer the same assurance as hearing directly from someone who says they have their own version of events.
He says the issue goes beyond the two MPs and concerns the credibility and completeness of the inquiry.
Kunkuyu has therefore appealed to the Speaker to reconsider the position and allow Mwanza Central and Mulanje West MPs to testify.
He says no person with relevant information should later be left claiming that they had something to tell Parliament but were denied the opportunity to do so.
