Malawians voted for a party that doesn't care about their well-being: Nankhumwa

Malawi: Kondwani Nankhumwa, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, has said that it is clear that Malawians voted for a party that does not care about their well-being after witnessing something unprecedented in the history of democracy, writes Esther Banda.

He said this on December 16, 2022, when Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara walked out of the Chamber after Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda requested her to adjourn the house sine die, even though some essential bills were supposed to be handled, one of which was the Banking Act, which was supposed to be concluded today.

The opposition legislators were supposed to move for the Banking Act to be concluded as agreed by the Business Committee, which was presided over by the Chair of the Committee, who is also the speaker.

This all started when the government introduced a Press Trust Bill that was never introduced in parliament, and the opposition legislators refused to proceed with it, preferring to finish the Banking Bill first, which was introduced last week.

Nankhumwa stated that what occurred today is unprecedented because it has not occurred since 1994. He stated that the government's bill seeks to seize the FDH Bank, which belongs to Thom Mpinganjira.

Yeremiah Chihana, a legislator for Mzimba North, stated that on behalf of the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), they demand that Catherine Gotani Hara resigns from one of her positions, either as Deputy Secretary General of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) or as Speaker of Parliament.

In response, UDF President Lilian Patel said that she is extremely disappointed with what occurred because sine die is a motion that is supposed to be responded to whether yes or no, which did not occur.

She went on to say that it's a clear indication that something is seriously wrong because the Banking Act was supposed to be completed today and be the first business handled.

In her remarks, UTM Leader in Parliament Chrissy Kalamula Kanyaso said that as a bloc, they decided to vote "no" with the Opposition because they voted their conscience, which did not please the government.

In support of his action, Chimwendo Banda stated that he requested the Speaker to rise sine die because the opposition legislators refused to proceed.