National News

Opposition calls on govt to improve economy

 

Six opposition political parties in the country have asked the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government to address some of the major challenges currently facing the country.

Speaking to journalists in Blantyre yesterday, the team of six party leaders who included Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera, People’s Progressive Movement leader Mark Katsonga-Phiri, New Labour Party’s Sam Mpasu, Edwin Banda of United Independence Party, United Transformation Party president Newton Kambala and Malawi Forum for Unity and Development’s (Mafunde) George Nnensa; and lawyer Bazuka Mhango said the country’s economy has been paralysed because of government’s negligence of the industrial sector.

From L to R: Banda, Mhango, Kambala and Chakwera
addressing the press yesterday

Meanwhile, the parties have given government a time-frame of six to 24 months to address the 12 challenges they outlined in their communiqué, failing which “Malawians will decide”.

In his remarks, Chakwera said Malawi is sailing in troubled waters due to high transportation and finance costs and bureaucracy, among other things.

He said government’s high domestic and foreign borrowing and inability to control waste and theft and corruption in public institutions have made its monetary and fiscal policies uncoordinated.

“No one says it, and no one would admit it, but the only way to get any public servant to do anything speedily is to give unsolicited tip in advance. The cancer of corruption has destroyed all our institutions,” Chakwera said.

Commenting on the issue, Banda echoed Chakwera’s sentiments, saying the legal regime in the country is hostile to business success, but favourable to fraudsters, thieves and crooks. He said the worst problem with the Malawi judicial system is excessive delays.

Katsonga, who presented the recommendations, urged President Peter Mutharika to sack all incompetent ministers and sort out power and water problems within two years and pay out all private sector arrears within 12 months.

He also called on government to re-establish the Malawi Development Corporation (MDC) to partner the private sector and spearhead industrial development in the country; re-establish the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) to take a leading role in the purchase of agricultural produce from subsistence farmers, among other things.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nicholas Dausi, who is also government spokesperson, said government is doing what it can to address some of the issues raised by opposition political leaders.

He said the opposition members are also Malawians who can help in resolving some of the problems. n

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