Post-election violence cost Malawi K62bn, says Mutharika
President Peter Mutharika was on Friday June 5 counting post-election protest violence costs, saying it cost the country a whopping K62 billion.
In his recorded state of the nation address to parliament, Mutharika said the political violence disrupted businesses, undermined revenue collection and slowed down the economy.
“I must report to this Assembly that the vandalism; burning of government and private property; the cold blooded murders and mob killings; and the scaring away of tourists and investors has cost us around K62 billion,” he said.
He said the same suffering poor Malawian taxpayers and victims of the violence will pay the cost.
Mutharika said the motive of the violence was to obliterate the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) economy and lable the government as a failure.
“They have failed. The negative drive to close down borders and airports was intended to shut down taps of revenue, suffocate the economy, subject innocent Malawians to suffering and create anger to incite people into the streets and overthrow the government. We survived,” he said.
He said as soon as the violence failed to shut down the borders and the economy, coronavirus came and locked down the world.
The President said business has slowed down, revenue collection undermined and demand to spend on social protection increased.
“This is part of the context in which our budget comes this year. In spite of the challenges, the economy continues to grow.
“The International Monetary Fund has once described Malawi as an excellent and over performing economy,” he said.
He described the economy as resilient which survived a crisis after another which included cashgate, floods and famines.
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Without protesting, without burning down those things, we would be condoning theft and irregularities. Some of you hear and understand when people protest. Otherwise things would have continued to get worse without the demos. We are better off with losing 62 billion. Our gains are resignation of your girl friend Ansah and the rerun of the presidential election. We would not get this if we remained silent. Look at countries like America. They are protesting now, burning staff; reason, they want to be heard and they will be heard. Ife tilekelenji? Tizifinyika dziko lili athu?
But should we say all of us who lost property, businesses and even life to demonstrations we are loosers. Really? The Govt has failed to hold the organisers responsible.
Those were citizens protesting against rigging the presidential results.Blame Malawi Electoral Commission.For tippexing the results sheets in favour of Peter Munthalika.
Your Excellency, this is a bad development for the country. Alternatively you can also look at this as a cost of your ignorance towards what people wanted, you thought you would scare people with force. Those are just Bakili Muluzi tactics that cannot work in this day and time.
Bea in mind that Muli has béen dubiously compensated with more than this amount, and further unaccounted funds by Ur administration are worse more than k62 billion.
If u r just looting public resources then the public has all the reasons to do the same.
Quite a bitter lesson for you, I know but perhaps you should have minimised these lessons so that u leave office on a slightly better note, although it’s too late now
Yet the President speaking from the other side confirmed the economy increased by 5%.
The Demonstrations you saw to remove Jane Ansah will be nothing compared to the Demonstrations if you cling to power and fail to respect the Courts Judgment to Hold Elections.
Terrible Game BUT the people will have the final say and they will not allow just one individual to cause or promote Anarchy to destroy this Country.
Continue this path do not expect to visit America again you will Not be welcome in fact they will likely arrest you
Chakwera, Chilima and Mtambo are to blame for the violence and damage worth K65 billion.
When the government becomes a law breaker (by stealing) then it becomes a liability to itself and its citizens, dpp government has been one and still as such.
The post election violence was as a result of a group of politicians with self-serving interests masquerading as leaders and in turn they want to instill fear in people by blaming the opposition on protests forgetting that it was malawians protesting not opposition. Atleast it seems dpp is got some idiotic malawians to fool around by telling them don’t vote the opposition because they caused violence, really?
When people are frustrated especially with government, they look for ways to vent their anger which unfortunately comes in many ways and one is such that happened in malawi.
French yellow vest protests which lasted months were violent, the current “Black lives matter ” protests in the United States are more violent and damaging than the one we encountered here in malawi, but you can’t hear or will never hear any politician use that as a campaign tool to win votes, are malawians or malawian politicians stupid to sell and buy such useless propaganda?
Mass violent protests as we witnessed last year are as a result of alot of underlying issues affecting the society as a whole not an influence of opposition parties as dpp has been desperately, and deceitfully wanting to make us believe. Dpp itself knows very well the protests were not only about mcp and utm but dpp is testing the waters to see how many malawians are foolish to buy that lie. Who would want to get killed in a protest when you got a job, business, and a life live? Who should be creating business opportunities and jobs, opposition or government? Who collects and abuse our taxes, opposition or government? Do you think the violent yellow vest protests in France were only because of Macron’s policy changes? Do you think the violent black lives matter protests in the US are only because of the killing of George Floyd?
Then dpp leaders must be idiots and don’t deserve another day in office if they think last year’s protests were just about mcp and utm.
Whether it’s about MCP/UTM/PP/HDRC or not we can never grolify damage of other people’s property let alone public infrunstructure and then justfy it as reaction to frustration? Who’s property are you damaging?.Thus stupid/uncivilized. US&France are G7countries Malawi is just another piece of.. if u talk about stealing money u need to provide evidence not mere accusation.Malawi courts are independent.Chaponda was reported distanced from DPP until he has been acquited.Provide evidence and report it! Osomangopanga justify bodza kapeleke umboni iweyo ngati citizen ku police ndi evidence yomwe ulinayo ya kuba kwa Kaya APM Kaya DPP then it shud be exposed.Osangonena while u can’t provide evidence thus gossip..and there is no time for that!
Who is to blame for the violence Mr Acting President? From your speech even a small child can say this man’s brain is drying up. No wonder you called women madeya forgetting your nyansi at home. You and your MEC were responsible for all the violence that took place. Look at what happened in Phalombe. Look at what happened just today in Machinga. By just appointing Atupele, the Young Democrats which Bingu exterminated have been given oxygen. You are going to lose because of that. Malawians do not like violence. Malawians have known peace for a long time. Did you see Kamuzu’s policemen or his bord guards carrying AK 47s or M16s in the public. Fine other things were not good but we never fought each other the way we are doing. Only Bingu was second to Kamuzu though he gunned down 21 people on 20 July 2011. You and Bakili are just the same.
Kamuzu was the worst of them all. Some of his facts are still applied by the MCP of today and will be in full blown when they come to power.