The main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP)’s President Dr.Lazarus Chakwera has described President Peter Munthalika’s Parliament Budget national address as empty rhetoric with full of nightmares.
Dr. Chakwera who is also leader of opposition parties in Malawi’s national assembly on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on President Munthalika national address upon making an official response as per tradition.
In his statement, the MCP leader said the President’s address lacked the zeal to address numerous challenges Malawians were going through as the nation needed a performing leader not babysitter with fail short of blowing his own trumpet to move this country forward.
“I am overwhelmed by sorrow and commiseration for millions of my fellow Malawians for whom the last twelve months under Munthalika rule have given the nothing to smile. Malawians across 28 districts are desperately looking for better living conditions. We have no right to call ourselves the people’s representatives or servant leader.
“In fact, while the address was titled fulfilling Our Promises, it would have been more fitting for it to be called Inflating Our Promises. This is because even though Malawians have waited a whole year, or 20 percent of President’s term , to see positive changes, President Munthalika chose to make even more promises”, charges Dr. Chakwera.
On Munthalika’s public reforms sector, the MCP leader said nothing serious was made to that effect saying the transfer of those powers to other ministries were not clear as were still under his authority.
Chakwera challenged Minister of Trade and Industry, Joseph Mwanamveka on the status core of Malawi Savings Bank (MSB) to shed more right to the nation as his served as Chief Executive Officer when the bank toxic assets were granted.
“Where our sanity as a country that is in the midst of grading poverty, shoddy public services, meager salaries for teacher and police, for example, we have the temerity to give Reserve Bank of Malawi MK6 billion to bail out crooks who do not want to pay back what they owe MSB”, said Chakwera
On shortage of food the country expected to face, Dr. Chakwera said the authority was sleeping on the wheel that the crops estimates released last month did not really reflect what was on the ground urging the leadership to do more in addressing the challenge.
In his response, People’s Party (PP) leader in Parliament, Uladi Mussa echoed more on what Dr. Chakwera said and alleged that the DPP administration was claiming ownership of PP’s projects such as the national stadium under construction in the capital Lilongwe.
Responding to statements made by Dr. Chakwera on President Munthalika address, Francis Katsaira, the leader of government in parliament said the opposition parties fail to provide alternatives but only criticism saying that was unhealthy for the development of this nation.
