BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Leader of opposition in parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa, who is also a legislator for Mulanje Central Constituency, has bashed President Lazarus Chakwera for his failure to link his four-year plan and the promises he made ahead of fresh presidential election last year.
Chakwera delivered a State of Nation Address (Sona) and among other issues he revealed his four-year plan for the nation.
Responding, as leader of opposition, Nankhumwa said the President’s address was practically void in the sense that it failed to accommodate his campaign promises.
Nankhumwa said, among others, Chakwera did not report the progress made so far in creating one million jobs, the provision of grants to the elderly, youth loans through the K70 billion basket under National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF).
He said the Tonse Alliance ought to be held accountable based on what it promised Malawians prior to its ascendancy to power.
He said: “Among a litany of the promises, the youths were promised 1 million jobs within the first 12 months, paying the elderly monthly grants and K70 million loan basket under the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF).”
Commenting on corruption, Nankhumwa noted that theft in government departments has reached unprecedented levels, with Chakwera failing to take decisive action on plunder of K6.2 Billion Covid-19 funds.
Nankhumwa said it is also sad to note that the President is not interested in auditing the other chunk worth K17.5 billion due to inadequate resources.
Interestingly, Nankhumwa is among individuals alleged to have benefited from the plunder.
On the economy, Nankhumwa said while Covid-19 has had devastating effects on the economy, he doubts whether the government is making efforts to grow the economy despite the pandemic.
He also expressed dismay with the increase in fuel prices, which he said is defeating the purpose of providing K100,000 free tax bracket by the sharp increase of cost of living.
He then asked fellow parliamentarians to contribute funds towards Paul Banda’s medical treatment abroad.
The legislators will debate the SONA for two weeks before the Minister of Finance, Felix Mlusu, delivers the 2021/2022 National Budget.
