Political Analysts Weigh In On Mutale Nalumango’s Performance In Parliament
By KBN Reporter
“To see the vice president saying she doesn’t have information before parliament on crucial national issues means there’s gap and a broken link in government between the President and his vice.” Pastor Kennedy Mambwe.
Scores of Zambians are concerned at ´the level of ignorance´ the vice president of Zambia Mrs Mutale Nalumango continues to exhibit in parliament during question-and-answer sessions, ´The Analysis´ has observed.
On the weekly Sunday live programme featuring Ambassador Anthony Mukwita, Pastor Kennedy Mambwe, and host Wiseman Zulu, it was observed that it is getting increasingly sad to watch the vice President waffle and baffle without confidence in the house, when asked questions regarding national issues, especially given her recent responses to the pending sale of the state-owned Presidential jet and offloading of shares in Kansanshi copper mines that belong to all Zambians.
This was her response, “I have just learnt about the issues you have raised from the screaming headlines myself, we shall come back with a full ministerial statement,” Mrs WK Nalumango said in parliament in response to PF House opposition leader Brian Mundubile last Friday.
This prompted Pastor Mambwe on the weekly debut KBN TV program to say in recent reference to President Hichilema´s statement frustrations on how his government is working that, “at the top we (UPND government) are speaking the right thing, but we lose in the middle´. His vice president (Mrs Nalumango) of the party and the republic can’t give the right information in parliament she is number two and yet the Presidents number two says ´even I just learn things in the media through screaming headlines´. She wants a ministerial statement (to answer questions she must ordinarily know) and yet she is vice president. If she doesn’t have the information as vice President, it’s a serious concern.”
Pastor Mambwe said, “To see the vice president saying she doesn’t have information before parliament means there’s gap and a broken link in government.”
Conversely, Ambassador Mukwita on the same programme said, “I was very sad twice this week when the vice President couldn’t answer questions from opposition house leader Brian Mundubile about state assets being lined up for sale without express approval of elected members of parliament as espoused by hon. Mundubile.”
He added that, “It was painful to watch the potential President saying she knew nothing about an issue that must have been discussed in cabinet. She also failed to answer questions on possible artificial manipulation of the currency, it was dreadful to watch Mrs Nalumango fail to answer but she confirmed that government is offloading money on the open market to keep the currency markets stable.”
The Ambassador asked, “How come several times on question time she (Mrs Nalumango) doesn’t have answers to questions regarding various national issues.”
But Pastor Mambwe came to the vice presidents defence saying maybe, “The VP is not well briefed by her media team sadly, there seems to be no link between State House and Cabinet, her office. It’s probably not her problem her communication team doesn’t care.”
A media expert, Pastor Mambwe said it is sad, “to expose the Mrs Nalumango to ignorance in parliament every week. If the vice president doesn’t know about salient decisions ´being made, there’s a disconnect. Maybe the President has his own exclusive team that doesn’t include the VP.”
The full transcript is available on the KBN TV Facebook page and DSTV 279.
Source: KBN TV
