Opposition flexes muscle in Parliament
Opposition members of Parliament yesterday rejected a government motion to table a bill that could allow government to access a K36 billion loan from the World Bank.
The loan seeks to cater for post-floods disaster recovery costs, but the opposition MPs—who have a numerical advantage in the House—cited accountability concerns as the main reason for their stand.
The rejection came as the opposition demanded that government explain how the previous relief efforts on the floods were handled, but government dismissed the concerns as sheer political vendetta.
Leader of the House Francis Kasaila said the move to defer the bill was a calculated move by the opposition parties to frustrate government.
“We have information that they (MCP and PP) had a joint caucus where they agreed to frustrate government business. They are being regionalist because they say the funds will not go to the regions they represent,” Kasaila later told Weekend Nation.
While Kasaila said the House had rejected the whole Bill, opposition MPs and the Speaker of the House, Richard Msowoya, said the MPs had only rebuffed the motion and that the bill could return to the House later.
Later in the day, Leader of Opposition, Lazarus Chakwera, held a press briefing alongside People’s Party (PP) leadership, where the parties stated that their rejection of the motion was driven by a desire for transparency and accountability.
Chakwera also confirmed plans by his fellow MCP lawmakers to reject the budget if government pressed ahead to sale State-owned MSB bank.
“MSB is not the only issue; we want a full explanation on a number of money issues which we, as a House, approved government to transact and made law.
“We want to know how government spent it and not just the MSB issue. This is how it is done world over and there is nothing strange about it,” said Chakwera.
Chakwera said the opposition rejects “a father knows best” mentality where the Executive just pushes bills in Parliament without proper explanation.
PP chief whip Ralph Jooma said the opposition would not let government’s propagation “matter of urgency and desire for expediency” to be done at the “expense of accountability and transparency.”
The proposed sale of MSB has attracted controversy amid reports that politically connected businesspersons and politicians obtained billions in loans from the bank which government intends to wipe off through promissory notes.
The opposition has raised fears of corruption and abuse of office in Parliament. The civil society has also protested the move while some concerned citizens and activists have attempted to block the sale in court.
