‘Opposition from hell’ Minister Chiumia accuses MCP, Chakwera of confrotation

Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Grace Chiumia has accused Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and its president Lazarous Chakwera of irresponsible utterances which are political provocation and confrontation.

Chiumia made the accusation during the send-off church service for former Cabinet minister in the one-party State the late Robson Chirwa in Mzuzu on Thursday.

The minister said Malawi’s deepening economic crisis is partly blamed to MCP  for its irresponsible opposition that is hell bent at fault finding .

She said real leaders offer solutions to problems and not criticism only.

“If the MCP had people like the late Chirwa, the party and the nation would have made a lot of progress. Party representatives take the message [and tell] president Lazarus Chakwera to tap from the knowledge of this icon which the nation has lost,” Chiumia, who offered the eulogy on behalf of government, said.

She called on the MCP to emulate the life of Chirwa, who served in the Cabinet of founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda,  who she described as an icon for the nation.

Chiumia said Chirwa and other older MCP members were good at giving solutions to problems unlike the Chakwera led MCP.

“Please tell the MCP president that it is worrisome for the party to always criticize government. When government has erred and we say help with solutions, you don’t give any. People like Robson Chirwa gave solutions on how things should be done and that is why I am saying we have lost an icon for the nation,” said Chiumia.

But speaking earlier MCP deputy secretary general James Kaunda blamed the DP Pled government for not taking heed of opposition advice.

“Government always trashes what the opposition has to say, but as the main opposition in the country, we also represent a constituency of the population and we are obliged to raise concerns when things go wrong,” Kaunda said.

Kaunda said some of the advice was coming from the late Chirwa who government decided to give military honours during his funeral.

He said the DPP administration should stop being arrogant.