‘President Gupta’ debate is a farce

Another debate in parliament, another farce. Mudslinging and insults were the order of the day at the chaotic presidency budget debate this week as MPs from the opposition parties accused President Jacob Zuma of driving state capture.

These are the ugly scenes that we have become accustomed to.

Angry insults are hurled at each other from various parties, Speaker Baleka Mbete clumsily battles to calm tensions and Zuma carries on.

At least this debate didn’t end in physical violence, something that has plagued previous sittings.

So the question is: what is achieved at these debates?

The Economic Freedom Fighters don’t even attend the debates due to their stance of not recognising Zuma as a legitimate president, while the Democratic Alliance were absent from Zuma’s response yesterday.

The day before, DA leader Mmusi Maimane accused Zuma of selling the country to the Guptas, and insisting that those who approved the budget were supporting a “mafia shadow state”.

“We cannot come and pretend that the presidency is not the headquarters of a Gupta empire, with Zuma acting as a front for them,” he said. “This is a budget for president Gupta.”

The purpose of debate is to make the best argument to prove your point right and the other’s wrong.

But there are no winners here. Just anger and chaos.

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