Chimunthu bluntly tells Bingu, govt in minority

Leader of Government in the National Assembly, Henry Chimunthu Banda bluntly told President Bingu Mutharika that government still needs the opposition to transact its business in the National Assembly.

Speaking during a rally held at Dowa Community Centre ground after a ground breaking ceremony of a K3.1 Billion Lumbadzi-Dowa Mchezi on Friday, Chimunthu said if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were in the majority in the House, it could have had no time to plead with the opposition to pass bills.

"But since we are in the minority, we at all cost need them[opposition] in parliament. We cannot do without them at the moment," said the leader of government business.

"Your Excellency, we should be working hard to win as many seats as possible during the next elections, otherwise, we will struggle again to pass bills in the National Assembly," said Chimunthu who is also Minister responsible for Transport, Public Works and Housing.

"We need to field young men and women who can emerge victors in the polls," he said.

He said there was need for much investment to enable the DPP to get so many parliamentarians, so that the party should be "untouchable" after the elections.

"Once we have enough MPs in parliament, we will never kneel before the opposition again. We will have no business to do with them," said Chimunthu.

DPP has only five legitimate legislators. The rest defected to the party from the opposition, who are at risk of having their seats declared vacant if the Speaker of the National Assembly invokes Section 65 of the Constitution.

Government has been struggling to pass its bills in the House.

Chimunthu Banda also seized the opportunity to castigate the opposition, United Democratic Front (UDF) for what he called "false promises."

Mutharika's move to call for talks with the opposition was held highly by the civil society as a move that would have shaped the direction of Malawi.

Sadly, the President told the same rally that the talks have failed.