Malawi Budget 2015: Chakwera brands APM ‘babysitter’
…Punches holes into his State of the Nation Address
Leader of Opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera yesterday launched a scathing attack on President Peter Mutharika’s attempts to blow his own trumpet on the back of economic reforms, describing his State of the Nation Address as bureaucratic machinations.
In his official response to the address in Parliament in Lilongwe yesterday, Chakwera, who is also Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president, further described the President as an “Executive babysitter”.
Said Chakwera: “But Malawians do not want a busy government. They want a productive one.”
He added: “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 the President’s term, to see positive changes, President Mutharika chose to make even more promises.”
However, Chakwera’s response, which drew applause from the opposition backbenchers, did not go down well with the government side led by chief whip Henry Mussa who launched into a verbal tirade accusing Speaker Richard Msowoya of gagging him when he sought a point of order.
“The chair is allowing members to continue flouting our own rules. I want to express my disappointment in the way the chair is proceeding. Would you allow anybody in here to refer to the President as a liar? Answer me that!” Mussa said during a heated exchange with Msowoya.
As Chakwera made his remarks, most members of Parliament (MPs) on the government side stood up in protest on a point of order after Msowoya denied Mussa and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation George Chaponda a chance to speak.
Mutharika’s public sector reforms and specifically the transfer of powers from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) did not impress Chakwera who said all he had done was to transfer those powers to other ministries which are still under his authority.
Government’s borrowing in the past year also came under Chakwera’s radar as he wondered who authorised it when Parliament had not given the government mandate to do so.
On the sale of State-owned Malawi Savings Bank (MSB), Chakwera cheekily asked Minister of Industry and Trade Joseph Mwanamvekha who, Chakwera said, was chief executive officer at the bank when loans that became “toxic assets” were granted, to shed more light.
While Mutharika on Tuesday touted the record three months import cover that Malawi is experiencing, Chakwera described this as mere lies and deception, claiming that individuals and companies have no purchasing power to enable them import raw materials for industries as evidenced by the reduced revenue collection by Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA). 
In his response, leader of People’s Party (PP) in Parliament Uladi Mussa followed through on the leader of opposition’s thinking alleging that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration was “claiming ownership” of PP projects such as the national stadium in Lilongwe “for lack of nothing to show” in the one year in office.
He also doubted Mutharika’s plans to construct eight new roads starting this coming financial year when local councils were just consuming resources without tangible developments.
General debate on the President’s address is scheduled to start today.
This government is doing nothing for true sense.
Boma la APM is worse off than masanje a ana. He is no baby sitter at all. He lacks direction, strategy, always looks like he does not believe he is president of a country and seems to have no idea what he is supposed to do as president.
Did you see how confused he looked during floods? Who goes visiting flood victims in a suit and walking on red carpet?
APM and his deputy have made several trips to the US, Israel and Asia. What has Malawi benefited from all these trips? Nothing.
APM used public resources to appoint Madona as Malawi’s good-will ambassador. Since then, Malawians have been faced with catastrophes (flooding, food shortage, drugs shortage in hospitals, victims of xenophobia etc) and many have lost their lives and continue to die. What has the good-will ambassador done about it all? Absolutely nothing.
Malawians are stranded in RSA. Although danger warning signs were sounded, nothing was done with speed to ensure safety of Malawians. As a result, we have lost six Malawian lives. Other than arranging buses to ferry these helpless Malawians back home what has the government done? Nothing.
These are Malawians who worked so hard in RSA to better their lives. They have been forced to abandon all their hard earned incomes to flee back home empty handed. APM’s government is ndwiiiiiii and just talking.
On arrival, these poor Malawians are simply being sent to their villages. There are no plans by the government to re-integrate the returnees in their societies. No social and financial support is being provided and, there is no arrangements in place for welfare monitoring of these returnees. How does the government expect the returnees to resettle well in their communities? Which government does that? APM’s.
Also, did APM not still travel to USA even when it was made very clear to him that his people were being killed in RSA? Neither did he abandon the trip to attend to such a calamity.
Let us not forget about the drama surrounding cash gate scandals, illegal sale of MSB bank, Kayelekela saga and the police that is infested with thugs. That, ladies and gentlemen summarises APM’s government !!!!
Nneneli otsutsa boma, Malawi was the first country to respond to the xenophobia issue in south Africa, moreover, it is surprising that you were busy looking at the President’s suit and carpet not the noble work he was doing. As for Chakwera, I wonder if he such name-calling is the pinnale of spiritual leader he used to profess. May be its part of the freedom of speech we all enjoy in Malawi.
thank you for saying that, we really do not seek to be given promises that are inflated, ca
n this government do something that matters, chonde, time is not on our side. stop thinking backwards and think out of the box, lets not make the situation floral when we all know it is sh** and show us where your efforts lie.