Malawi youths betrayed with lowest allocation in zero-aid budget
One percent 2014-2015 budget allocation to child and youth development is a betrayal to young people in the country, Center for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (YECE) Executive Director Lucky Mbewe has said.
The current national fiscal budget is pegged at K742.8 billion representing a 16 percent increase from last year.
“What it means is that this government does not value young people, we want government to come in the open why it has chosen to betray the section which constitute a majority population,” said Mbewe adding that it is high time the youth should rise against the substantial allocation.
He said the allocation falls short in addressing the challenges of unemployed young people especially in economic empowerment.
“Our wish is to see into it that youthful members of parliament to take to task the finance minister on the issue,” he said.
Responding to the budget statement, leader of opposition and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Dr Lazarus Chakwera also bemoaned lack of supporting the youth.
“Are we meeting the minimum grade for helping the young people? Are we seriously saying that we can afford to pass a budget that allocate 1 percent to child and youth development?
“This is a betrayal of our young people. The young people of this nation deserve to see a day in which their government is led by people who focus on youth development, not youth painting, but sadly, today is not that day,” he said.
Chakwera said the budget Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe presented in the House on September 2 2014 promotes consumption and offers the working class who pay the majority of taxes little protection from the rising cost of living.
He also pointed out that it was a “sick joke” for government to allocate less than 10 percent of the budget to the health sector below the Abuja Declaration recommendation of 15 percent.
