By Vincent Gunde

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Dr. George Chaponda, has assured the media of a unified and vibrant opposition in Parliament that will provide checks and balances on issues affecting Malawians advising them to help in holding authorities accountable.

Chaponda says the media is an important partner in democratic dispensation challenging them to collaborate with his office as they are serving the voiceless Malawians.

“We hope to work together for the good of our people,” reads Chaponda’s writings on the wall after interacting with the media in his office in Lilongwe.

A Malawi Congress Party (MCP) diehard of Mvera in Dowa district Mr. Rodgers Kamphangala, said Chaponda has come to take the challenging position of Leader of Opposition in Parliament at a wrong time when everything has been messed up in the country with nothing to correct.

Kamphangala said Malawi has gone through 4 years of wastage where Parliament was being driven by a driver without knowing the final destination and the opposition leader was like the bus conductor assisting the driver to drive the country to the bush.

He said from 2020 Malawi has had no opposition Leader of Parliament to provide government with checks and balances saying this has resulted to President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera capturing all state institutions such as MDF, Police, ACB including media houses to be airing and beaming praise songs forgetting that Malawians are in pain and suffering.

The MCP diehard has observed that the out-going Leader of Opposition has been the worst leader the country has ever produced since the dawn of multi-party politics in Malawi claiming that Government bills have been passing in Parliament without scrutiny.

He recalled that the late Professor Bingu wa Mutharika was the best President claiming that had he came after the late Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Malawi could not have been poor today, it would have developed tremendously to reach the stage of Qatar of Africa.

Kamphangala has reminded Malawians that Bingu ruled Malawi with zero-deficit budget saying Malawi survived with that because there was a strong opposition led by the late John Tembo and had it been that the former Leader of Opposition was strong like Tembo, President Chakwera would have been ruling the country without critics pointing fingers at him.

“President Chakwera has failed to govern Malawi because of a weak Leader of Opposition in Parliament turning the House into a praising house for government,” he said.

The MCP diehard has since appealed to Malawians to work hand in hand with the new Leader of Opposition Dr. Chaponda saying half a loaf is better than none, expressing hope that Chaponda will fly the opposition flag high in providing checks and balances to government even though, the country has already gone to the bush instead of the promised land of Canaan.