National News

Parliament rises

 Leader of Opposition George Chaponda yesterday threw salvos on the government for allegedly organising the 5th meeting of the 50th session of Parliament to frustrate the opposition.

Chaponda directed his criticism towards Speaker Catherine Gotani-Hara, accusing her of bias in the way she conducted parliamentary duties.

He alleged that his petitions, along with those from other opposition members, were ignored, preventing them from addressing critical issues in the House.

In his closing remarks as Parliament adjourned sine die, Chaponda highlighted several grievances, including his unanswered request to the Minister of Finance regarding the status of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) extended credit facility and the lack of discussion on the preliminary report from German investigators on the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others.

Chimwendo: Forget about taking over the government

Said Chaponda: “Why are we demanding a public inquiry? Where the plane is alleged to have crashed is not a very thick forest as we were made to believe. Surprisingly, it was not even very far from people’s settlements.”

He warned the government, saying: “This is not the final meeting under your leadership. A mid-year budget review is on the horizon, and I assure you, you cannot fool all the people all the time. Mwachenjera pogona, tiwonana podzuka.”

Chaponda further criticised the government for its failure to provide the mandatory 28-day notice before tabling a Bill and for neglecting to present the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act (Amendment). He concluded by stating that the current administration has failed Malawians, as demonstrated by the ongoing hunger crisis.

But in his winding up speech, Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda said Chaponda’s assertions that the Speaker was biased are misplaced, arguing that he (Chaponda) was accorded a chance to address the House, but was not ready.

He said: “The DPP’s door to rule again was closed and no one is opening that door. Forget about taking over the government.”

Chimwendo-Banda also gave assurances that there will be no violence ahead of political rallies by the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) at Ekwendeni and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at Katoto in Mzuzu, which are 20 kilometres apart. The rallies are scheduled for today.

A seemingly charged Chimwendo-Banda also mocked the DPP for failing to elect a woman as vice-president, pointing out that instead it has six male vice-presidents.

During the four-week meeting which started on August 26 2024, the House passed 10 Bills including Bill No. 12 of 2024, Irrigation, Bill No. 17 of 2024, Real Estate Management, Bill No. 18 of 2024, Sectional Titles, Bill No. 19 of 2024, Property Valuation, Bill No. 20 of 2024 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Bill No. 21 of 2024: National Arts and Heritage;

The House also considered ministerial statements, two of which were on government’s efforts to boost tourism and efforts to improve food security and market stability.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button