DPP asks Malawi leader to subsidize maize price, stop handouts

Malawi’s former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has asked President Joyce Banda to subsidise maize price to ensure that every needy Malawian affords the commodity.

DPP’s advice comes in the wake of the President’s relief flour and maize distribution exercise to the deprived masses which the party has observed is only benefiting few individuals primarily Peoples Party (PP) sympathisers.

The President’s frequent trips to distribute relief items have recently attracted criticism from some quarters, arguing they are costing government a lot ofmoney.

The opposition party observes that Banda’s travels to the countryside for food handouts where she distributes maize were a misuse of taxpayers’ money which could be used to purchase enough maize.

President Banda in food distribution

“While President Joyce Banda continues to pay a deaf ear to various calls from various quarters to stop misusing taxpayers money in allowances under the pretext of distributing food to the hungry, the DPP offers free advice to our good President.

“Stock all ADMARC markets and selling points with maize then use the budget allocation for allowances which hovers around K20million per trip to subsidize the maize price to K20 per kg so that every Malawian can afford the commodity,” says DPP in its New Year’s statement signed by acting Secretary-General Dr. Allan Chiyembekeza,

The party claims it has discovered that in most areas where the president has been distributing maize, only one person is identified per village leaving hundreds of others starving.

“And to make matters worse the recipients are always sympathizers of the ruling party,” it alleges.

The former ruling party further says in the event that government has sourced some relief food from other countries, the president must give the responsibility to the Department of Relief and Disaster Preparedness as it has the capacity to handle such an exercise without bias “than entrusting this noble task to the ruling elite who always abuse the facility to gain political mileage.”

Despite public outcry to stop wasting taxpayers’ money through her persistent travels to distribute relief food herself, President Banda has vowed that she will continue distributing maize and flour to needy people in the country.

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