There is a moment in every democracy when Parliament must look itself in the mirror and ask: what kind of leadership do we deserve? For Malawi, that moment has arrived — and it comes with the name Sameer Suleman.
Suleman, the supposed “incoming Speaker of Parliament,” has been paraded as a man of service, unity, leadership, empowerment, modernization, accountability, and nation-building. But these fine-sounding words collapse under the weight of his public record and behaviour. The image of a reformer he wishes to project is not only disingenuous — it is dangerously misleading.
There is nothing about service in a man who has built his political brand on noise, insults, and showmanship. Nothing about unity in one who thrives on division and dramatics. Certainly nothing about integrity in a man known more for confrontations than contributions.
Suleman has, time and again, displayed a disregard for parliamentary decorum and basic respect — especially towards women. His record is tainted by crude outbursts, confrontational antics, and a pattern of behaviour that betrays contempt rather than leadership. In any serious democracy, such conduct would disqualify a person from presiding over the nation’s most sacred chamber of dialogue.
To call Suleman unfit is not to insult him; it is to respect the gravity of the office he covets. The Speaker of Parliament is not a stage for theatrics, nor a reward for party loyalty. It is a constitutional trust — one that demands intellect, restraint, impartiality, and moral authority. Suleman offers none of these. His past, from failed bids in sports administration to his infamous tantrums on the parliamentary floor, shows a man better known for commotion than conviction.
We must not forget that leadership of the legislature is not about who can shout the loudest, but who can think the deepest. This position calls for someone who can rise above the pettiness of politics to safeguard the dignity of the House — not drag it further into ridicule.
Yes, politics often rewards loyalty over merit. Suleman may find comfort in the numerical advantage of his party. But let not the independent members of Parliament be reduced to auctioned commodities — their votes traded for convenience and short-term political gain. The nation expects them to be the moral compass of the House, to elevate objectivity over opportunism.
If they choose Suleman, they will be endorsing a culture of noise over reason, chaos over civility, and mediocrity over merit. They will be telling Malawians that hooliganism can be repackaged as leadership, and arrogance can masquerade as confidence.
But Malawi deserves better. The nation is crying out for a Speaker who embodies wisdom, balance, and dignity — not one who treats Parliament as a theatre for self-promotion.
History will judge this moment. The question is whether our legislators — especially the independents — will stand on the side of reason or sink into the swamp of party manipulation. The choice is not between parties; it is between principle and regression.
And if principles still mean anything in Malawi’s politics, then Sameer Suleman should not, by any stretch of moral imagination, be anywhere near the Speaker’s chair.
