Malawi is at crossroads, poverty worsening – MCP

The economy of Malawi “is at a crossroads” having been rated poor of the poorest in the world, opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) lawmaker for Kasungu East, Madaliso Kazombo  told parliament.

Kazombo:  Malawi just like a failed state
Kazombo: Malawi just like a failed state

Kazombo noted that despite economic difficulties, the southern African country’s population is growing at an alarming rate.

“In fact maternal mortality rates are still high. Cancer cases, stroke cases, are the order of the day as I am speaking at the moment,” said Kazombo.

“Our youth have been left unattended to, unemployment rates are high. Every day we hear of crime, robberies, and police being shot. This is just a reflection of how our youth have been left unattended to, and as a result they have nothing to do but to be involved in various malpractices,” said the MP.

He was speaking in his contribution to the debate on the 2015/16 national budget.

Kazombo catalogued problems people are facing including lack of safe water, saying the Peter Mutharika government in the budget “has done nothing regarding drilling of boreholes, and yet most of us come from rural constituencies where our people have no water.”

“Our health system is still struggling to meet critical needs. Kasungu East Constituency at the moment remains a constituency without an ambulance. Mthunthama health centre has only one bed for maternal services. Newly born babies share a room with guardians. Wimbe Health Centre has no guardian shelter.

“The idea of safe motherhood remains a mystery in Kasungu East as people from Kapyanga who moulded more than 600,000 bricks, walk 49 kilometres to Kasungu Boma to get medical services, 50 years after Malawi attained independence, 20 years after we embraced multiparty politics, and yet these people are Malawians,” lamented Kazombo.

He drew wrath of government benches when he said people from Dzaleka refugee camp who are not Malawians have all the care from the government, and yet “real Malawians from Kapyanga have no hospital. Kapyanga people have turned into refugees. Refugees from Mozambique and other places at Dzaleka in Dowa have turned to be Malawians; this is very shameful.”

The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Paul Chibingu stood on a point of order, saying people in his constituency “are not refugees, they are Malawians.”

The First Deputy Speaker Esther Mcheka Chilenje said point of order was sustained. And Kazombo continued: “If a fellow Malawian walks 49 kilometres, a pregnant woman walks 49 kilometres from Kapyanga to Kasungu Boma; should we say that person indeed is benefiting from the rights of being a Malawian? I am talking of what is happening in my constituency.

“Every week I have to go to a funeral because a person has died when she was giving birth due to a complication that had occurred because she was not attended to by medical personnel. Do you call that person benefitting from the rights of being a Malawian?”

He said farmers are not benefiting from tobacco.

“ Our people from the central region, from Namwera in Mangochi, from Mwazisi in Rumphi with their hard working spirit, do not get the fruits from their labour, and yet they are Malawians.,” said Kazombo.

“It is these buyers of tobacco that are benefiting from the crop and yet the farmer on the ground still remains miserable year after year, with no change on the ground. The farmer fails to pay school fees and yet we hear tobacco has earned the country so many dollars when the actual farmer does not get any reward. (This is pathetic, this is sad, it is better we just declare that there should be no more farming of tobacco because the more we grow tobacco, the poorer we become. What is it now?”

Kazombo said the much touted Greenbelt Initiative has just been “mere rhetoric” with no action .

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Changers
Changers
8 years ago

Hon. Kazombo, you talk too much and you are a real politician. But have you considered using the numerical strength of the opposition to your advantage? Amend the electoral laws, if you have the courage, otherwise you also intend to benefit from these weak laws. I do not believe you are at all different from them.

Julie
Julie
8 years ago

Malawi could have been rich by now becoz of greedy, selfish politicians and few party followers who praise people for doing part of what we voted to do. If i may ask, who is ammending the much touted election reforms? OPPOSITION, OPPOSITION, this is the right time, your numbers are quiet good in the August house, propose them and bring them in the house, osati mudzaliranso nthawi za zisankho.

mbava
mbava
8 years ago

Well articulated speech however don’t comment on some issues that you are not conversant with. 1. Health delivery system does not see whether is it a refugee community or not. 2. Stroke is a non-communicable condition so it is the responsibility of all individuals to take care of their lifestyles!

Balamanthu
8 years ago

Honourable Kazombo, I wish to make a correction to your speech.Malawi is not at cross roads as of now.It was at this point during Bingus time.It crossed it during the later part of his rule before his demise.As of now, it is actually a serious failed state that is run by corrupt(Kleptocracy) leadership that have no direction and do not have a strategy of reversing the downward trend we are currently experiencing.Everything that is being done is intertwined in politics, it is trial and error and there is not time to carefully think through it so that it benefits the… Read more »

zaluma
zaluma
8 years ago

mada1 mada! Chanco economist graduate speaking. Otsati mphwepwe as a Chaya used to call them.

bleka
bleka
8 years ago

if all mp’s are like kazombo malawi could have been a better place to live

Kasungu
Kasungu
8 years ago

This mp is fit to be a Leader of opposition not chakwela mcp jackup ! When budget was presented he not in parliament what a leader is he ? Bola njovu timava kuti mcp yalankhula

Jack
Jack
8 years ago

Well spoken the Member of Parliament of my area. The area I live in and call home. He talks of what is on the ground, some of you have preached of moving Malawi from poverty to prosperity but have no idea of the poverty in Kasungu East. How can one proudly call themselves a Malawian when they enjoy less delivery of service than a refugee? Thanks Hon Kazombo for bringing to the attention of government the suffering of people of Kasungu East and lets hope this government listens and takes action. There is nothing like MCP or DPP in Kasungu… Read more »

Jack
Jack
8 years ago

Well spoken the Member of Parliament of my area. The area I live in and call home. He talks of what is on the ground, some of you have preached of moving Malawi from poverty to prosperity but have no idea of the poverty in Kasungu East. How can one proudly call themselves a Malawian when they enjoy less delivery of service than a refugee? Thanks Hon Kazombo for bringing to the attention of government the suffering of people of Kasungu East and lets hope this governenment listens and takes action. There is nothing like MCP or DPP in Kasungu… Read more »

Imraan Sadick
8 years ago

I thought we gonna hear we as MCP party we’re hereby to introduce the alternatives to the President as requested… Instead is the same bla bla bla and bla

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