Malawi Parliament rises as Nankhumwa hits at MCP on killing economic development of Blantyre,  southern region

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa has asked President Lazarus Chakwera and his government to review its decision o to relocate some government departments and important parastatals like the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA),  Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) and the Department of Immigration, among others, from Blantyre to Lilongwe, saying this may take away  economic life from the Commercial City.

He was speaking in his winding speech Friday in Lilongwe when Parliament adjourned sine die after concluding its Mid-term Budget meeting.

Nankhumwa said the moving of the important parastatals to Lilongwe is “an ill-conceived decision,” which  he said will have “catastrophic consequences” on the social and economic development of Blantyre and the entire southern region.

“Blantyre is a key economic hub of the southern region and the engine of its social and economic growth. Relocating these key institutions from Blantyre to Lilongwe would have a very serious and negative impact on the growth of the entire region,” he said.

The opposition leader added: “Indeed, many service providers in Blantyre and the region are likely to lose business and it is also most likely that many workers would face redundancy as Lilongwe would not be able to accommodate everyone.

“I, therefore, urge the government to reverse this retrogressive decision because it is economically unsound and illogical.”

On his part, Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda, told Nankhumwa that the decision to move MRA and Immigration to Lilongwe was late  president Bingu Wa Muntharika’s decision and that the current government “sees merit in it.”