DPP says Malawi Pres Banda speech lacked substance, paper says ‘missed opportunity’
Former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has rubbished the State of the Nation Address delivered by Malawi President Joyce Banda on Friday as lacking substance.
In her address when opening the 44th Session of Parliament, she described 2013 as the year that demands all citizens to work hard to give birth to a “new Malawi.”
Government is currently pursuing the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) and the President told the House that economic recovery path her administration has taken is the only route to end the economic problems the country is facing.
“The dark clouds of despair are lifting, giving way to our season of hope. Our country which for sometime has bled from a thousand wounds is moving towards healing,” said Banda who faced some the jeering from the opposition bench.
But in his reaction, leader of DPP in the House Dr. George Chaponda said: “The speech lacked substance in terms of the problems the country is gracing.”
He said President Banda “delivered a lot of sweet talk on what government is doing.”
Missed opportunity
Meanwhile, an influential Weekend Nation newspaper on Saturday said in its editorial comment that President Banda missed an opportunity to spell out the basis on which her government would achieve economic recovery in 2013
“The missed opportunity to shut up her detractors would only embolden their perception that she fails to match rhetoric with action, but only dances to the tune of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other Western donors,” said the weekly in its editorial comment.
The paper says it agrees with the opposition and the civil society that “we have been bombarded by a litany of achievements before.”
It reads: “Having talked the talk all this time, we believe it is time the President walked the talk on recovering the economy.”
But donors, including Britain and World Bank were diplomatic and commended Banda for staying the course on the economic recovery path.
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