Kamuzu Chibambo wants punishing austerity measures in view of forex scarcity

Tonse Alliance spokesperson and President of Peoples Transformation Party (Petra) Kamuzu Chibambo says President Dr Lazarus Chakwera should put in place strict austerity measures in view of the scarcity of forex in the country.

At a press conference on Tuesday in Blantyre, Chibambo has asked the minister of Finance to suspend all public events, saying they are a drain on public resources.

He said the public events ban can be lifted once the economic situation picks up.

Chibambo was speaking at the press briefing on the country’s current forex shortage and other related crises and general economic instability.

He said the austerity measures that were put in place a few months ago, need to be notched up.

He wondered why ministers and principal secretaries were still drawing 2000 and 1500 litres of fuel monthly.

“These fuel allocations ought to be slashed down to less than 750 litres per month forthwith,” Chibambo said.

Chibambo, who is also a partner in the nine-member Tonse Alliance also took a swipe at air travel when officials scramble for flying first class or business class.

“When the economy is in bad shape like ours, ministers and other senior government officials must lead by example,” he said.

The Petra leader has also expressed concern over the manner in which corruption cases have been handled by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.