Leader of Opposition George Chaponda has criticised the Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara, accusing her of bias in the way she conducted business in the August House.
Chaponda said he is very disappointed in the manner the deliberations have been conducted in Parliament.
“While I do not wish to reflect unfavourably on your office, it is evident that fairness has been sorely lacking in this meeting. I have numerous examples of decisions from your office that appear designed to frustrate the opposition. If we were not a law-abiding bloc, this house would indeed be ungovernable,” he explained.
Chaponda alleged that his petitions, along with those from other opposition members, were ignored, preventing them from addressing critical issues in the House.
Chaponda also noted that it is very clear that this meeting was arranged to frustrate the opposition, and this reflects a staggering level of incompetence among cabinet ministers and the government, which has failed to address the pressing issues facing our citizens.
“However, let me make one thing clear: 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 of the people all of the time. Mwachenjera pogona, tiwonana podzuka,” he explained.
The leader of the Opposition also highlighted several grievances, including his unanswered request to the Minister of Finance regarding the status of the IMF extended credit facility and the lack of discussion on the preliminary report from German investigators about the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others