By Rick Dzida
Soon after former President Prof. Peter Mutharika eloquently declared at Njamba Freedom Park that he will win 2025 election with a huge landslide, incumbent President Chakwera has grabbed every opportunity to refute such an assertion on a number of occasions.
First, it was in Blantyre during the commemoration of Dr. Kamuzu Banda where he assured Malawians that he will not lose the forthcoming presidential race and he will thereafter continue his plans of uniting Malawians and erecting infrastructural developments.
As if such retaliation was not enough, President Chakwera once again recently in Lilongwe explained why Malawi is undergoing untold economic miseries under his watch.
As usual, President Chakwera cited Cyclone Freddy, Covid 19, Russia-Ukraine war and other unforeseen circumstances as inevitable hindrances to economic progress in Malawi.
For starters, it is indeed true that the aforementioned factors adversely impacted on almost every country in the world including our own beloved nation, Malawi.
It also remains a fact that the magnitude of impact due to such factors vary depending on individual country’s economic stamina.
Furthermore, Malawi being one of the poorest countries in the world, it is expected that the adverse impact of such factors may be relatively colossal.
However, it is mindboggling to hear Reverend Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera blaming these unforeseen and unplanned circumstances for our ailing economy without providing pragmatic solutions.
Former American Secretary of State, Colin Powell, once said that leadership is about solving problems . The moment people don’t come to you as a leader to resolve their problems, it is the time that signifies that they have lost confidence in you. They will simply label you , a failed leader.
In the same vein of reasoning , one is objectively tempted to ask, what has Chakwera regime done to resuscitate the ailing economy amid these unfortunate circumstances?
For instance, some two years ago, an economic recovery plan program was launched under the auspices of Vice President Saulos Chilima, is the country’s economy getting better now?
What has Chakwera regime done to manage the 13 trillion kwacha domestic and international Malawi’s debt?
Obviously, our ailing economy will not improve by idly blaming natural disasters while Chakwera regime depletes government coffers through massive borrowing and careless overspending.
What deliberate measures has Chakwera government put in place to stamp out corruption as was promised during political campaigns ?
Malawians know that President Chakwera singlehandedly pardoned Bakili Muluzi, a corruption suspect and Uladi Mussa, a corruption convict and recently, high profile corruption suspect, Dr. Saulos Chilima.
It is flabbergasting to note that President Chakwera thinks that our ailing economy will improve on its own by just blaming natural disasters while tolerating corruption, a vice that derails economic progress.
Unfortunately, blaming natural disasters and the previous DPP regime for the current worsening economic situation in Malawi will not bring substantial winning votes to the incumbent President Chakwera.
In conclusion, Malawians are looking forward to President Chakwera, as a leader, to offer practical solutions to rampant joblessness, abject poverty, selective justice, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, regionalism, poor public service delivery, public security and the worsening economic situation.
President Chakwera is cordially advised to urgently address such socioeconomic ills before 2025 presidential elections otherwise former President Prof Peter Mutharika is most likely carrying the day in the next presidential race.
