OPPOSITION SATISFIED WITH CHAKWERA’S APPEARANCE IN PARLIAMENT

Leader of the opposition in Parliament, George Chaponda, yesterday expressed satisfaction after President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera appeared before Parliament, where he responded to some of the questions from members of Parliament.

Chaponda said the satisfaction is in the way that the opposition requested the appearance of the president to respond to the questions from members of Parliament on various issues of national importance.

However, the disappointment from the opposition side was that they expected the president to respond to all the questions, which he did not.

“The last question, which was relating to hunger in the country, was deliberately not answered. We thought that the leader of the house could have extended time for the president to respond to the question,” said Chaponda.

Chaponda said it is strange for the opposition to see the president, who has been responding to such questions previously, not being given time to respond to all the questions.

“We are very disappointed and, to our surprise, this is the first time President Chakwera has skipped a question in all the sessions he has attended in Parliament,” added Chaponda.

In his description of Chakwera’s responses to the questions, Chapondasaid the president, who is prudent in fiscal discipline, should consider delegating some of his foreign trips.

President Chakwera did not respond to the last question from the Member of Parliament for Machinga East, Esther Jolobala, who wanted to know if the goal of the campaign promise of three meals a day for all remains the president’s administration priority.

The leader of the house, Richard Chimwendo Banda, did not extend time for the deliberations on that day, which resulted in Jolobala’s question not being answered.

In her comment, Jolobala said the president has missed an opportunity to explain the plans of his government to Malawians regarding what his government is doing to address the hunger situation in the country.

In one of the responses, President Lazarus Chakwera yesterday rubbished claims by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, George Chaponda, who said the local economy continues to face challenges due to wasteful spending and excessive borrowing.