Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have outlined a set of urgent demands for the new administration, calling for strengthened governance, full transparency and swift action to revive Malawi’s struggling economy.
Speaking on Friday on expectations for the inaugural year of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, CSO leaders warned that Malawians will no longer settle for political rhetoric, demanding visible and measurable reforms.
Government has since acknowledged the demands, describing them as having merit, owing to the previous administration’s indecisiveness and poor implementation of sound economic policies.
Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT) executive director Willy Kambwandira in a written response emphasised that government must be proactive.
“Reflecting on where we are coming from as a country, our expectations are clear: the government must move from rhetoric to measurable actions on governance and transparency,” he said.
The CSOs demands also include implementation of economic recovery policies that will resuscitate Malawi’s ailing economy, which they claim worsened during the Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) five-year term.
“We expect strict enforcement of the procurement and public finance laws, full disclosure and accountability on implementation of set austerity measures by the government, but most importantly, we expect to see real consequences for abuse of office and public funds regardless of rank and political affiliation,” Kambwandira stated.
He further said the government should ensure there is no selective justice, pointing out that Malawians cannot have another year of impunity disguised as reform.
He said: “We also expect to see progress and swift prosecution of all high profile corruption cases involving both the current and the previous senior government officials.”
Sharing these sentiments, Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) national chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa called for stronger political will.
He noted that persistent challenges in public financial management and service delivery have historically undermined public trust, urging the administration to empower oversight institutions to operate independently, free from the shadow of political interference.
He said: “Over the past year, the country has witnessed persistent governance challenges, including concerns around public financial management, enforcement of anti-corruption measures and transparency in public procurement and service delivery.
“These issues have continued to undermine public trust in institutions and weaken confidence in government systems.”
Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito warned the DPP-led administration against falling into the trap of populist policies that offer no long-term benefit.
“The time has come for the government to move away from policies meant only for political gains at the expense of the poor,” he warned.
Governance expert Undule Mwakasungula echoed the warnings, reminding the government that the Constitution must remain the ultimate transparency benchmark. “Kindly note that Malawi has long faced challenges in governance, particularly in protecting human rights, upholding the rule of law, tackling corruption,” said Mwakasungula.
“In the year ahead, I expect the government to demonstrate real commitment to these principles by being transparent about decisions, applying laws fairly, protecting citizens’ rights, combating corruption and enabling people to participate in governance.”
Minister of Information Shadric Namalomba said the Mutharika administration has come with a pledge of action, adding that there will be no more hopelessness in the year ahead and beyond.
“We are reforming the whole government systems, optimising the digitisation foundations to ensure that we have an inclusive, efficient, transparent and effective government.
“All the reforms suggested in the past will be revisited. A report on the same was made available to the previous regime but nothing was done,” he said.
Namalomba said the government will ensure that there should be a stop to endless queues for passports, driving licences and national identity cards as well as for basic necessities like sugar.
He said the DPP administration will drive industrialisation, commercialise agriculture and tap into Malawi’s mining potential to create jobs and build a bright future for the country.
