CDEDI takes on Chakwera and Chilima for spending K300m visiting hungry people
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has taken to task President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera his Vice, Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, for alleged “careless plunder of public resources” under the guise of crop inspection and review of implementation of Public Sector Reforms.
CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa addressed journalists in Lilongwe on Thursday where he expressed his dismay that Chakwera could afford to spend over K300 million visiting people that can hardly afford a meal a day due to rising of cost of living.
“It beats human imagination, therefore, to note that the President, fresh from attending a conference for poor countries, went straight into a spending spree of the very scarce resources. This is a total mockery of the glaring poverty that is dehumanising Malawians. It is an open secret that the 2021/2022 Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) is total mess; what is it then that the President would like to see or hear from the people which he doesn’t know already? Where is the morality of assembling a whole Executive motorcade to visit people whose suffering is already known, and are helplessly waiting for solutions and not lectures that leave them hopeless,” said Namiwa.
He challenged Chakwera and Chilima to stop what he described as “these needless local travels” and stay in the office to devise mechanisms for cushioning the masses from the imminent fuel increase that will worsen the suffering of the people due to the global economic turmoil.
Namiwa said it is baffling to note that while caring leaders elsewhere are formulating packages to protect their economies and cushion the masses from the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, Malawi leaders are busy competing on plundering the public purse through allowances for themselves and teams of public officers accompanying them.
He cited President Paul Kagame of Rwanda who has recently announced a package to protect his people from the external shocks, as a result of the war in Ukraine.
“But here in Malawi the Tonse Alliance government is shamelessly making attempts to use the same war to cover up its cluelessness. Needless to remind President Chakwera and his government that the RussiaUkraine war is a month old, while the increase in the cost of living is as old as the Tonse Alliance government itself!” he said.
The CDEDI boss has since demanded that Chakwera should immediately come up with a clear policy to cushion the masses from the imminent fuel increase that will unfortunately trigger yet another increase in the cost of living.
He also recommended that the President and his Cabinet should cut their tax-free salaries by half as a sign of sharing the pain with the masses that can longer afford a decent meal a day.
“The Presidency should immediately stop the global trotting and local travels. Malawi envoys should represent the country during all the international events while the rest should be attended virtually, until the country’s economy is fixed to the satisfaction of the majority of Malawians. The President should trim his Cabinet from 32 to 20; and also chop his crowd of advisors from 22 to 5,” said Namiwa.
He further reminded Chakwera about the campaign promises he made prior to the court-sanctioned fresh presidential elections on June 23, 2020, including the promise that he would resign if he failed to fix the country within two years of his reign.
“We dare say that with two months left to the expiry of those two years, he must honour his promise!” challenged Namiwa.
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