While backing President Peter Mutharika’s directive not to hold State-funded Independence Day celebrations on July 6 this year citing fiscal pressures, various stakeholders said yesterday that austerity must be consistent.
The stakeholders—including political parties and governance commentators—said financial prudence should apply to the whole public service not just selected events.
Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi announced in a statement that there will be no official Independence Day celebrations, adding that the decision reflected the current administration’s resolve to lead by example in ensuring financial discipline and implementation of austerity measures.
In an interview yesterday, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson Jessie Kabwila welcomed the decision, but called on government to go beyond cancelling the celebrations.
Kabwila called for consistency in the implementation of austerity measures and to ensure that the money that is saved is used to meet the needs of the country.
She said: “This is the same government that announced that ministers will not be travelling a lot, but we are seeing ministers travelling a lot and spending a lot. The ministers are frequently travelling outside the country and one tends to wonder, does this austerity measure only apply to July 6?”
United Democratic Front (UDF) secretary general Genarino Lemani commended the decision not to have Independence Day celebrations, but said more needs to be done if the country is to protect public resources. He said there are still issues of travels that government has to address.
“At the memorial service of former vice-president Saulos Chilima, we had the Vice-President [Jane Ansah] and a representative of the President Honourable [Minister of Education, Science and Technology] Bright Msaka. They were using State resources and so you wonder what austerity measures are they implementing,” he said.
In a separate interview, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willy Kambwandira said while the decision not to use public resources for this year’s Independence Day celebrations may appear commendable on the surface, the move could be ineffective if not consistently applied to other areas.
National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe also said while the directive not to hold government funded celebrations demonstrates commitment to save public resources, a single decision may not make a dent on the country’s overall fiscal health.
Nyika Institute executive director Moses Mkandawire said with the economic challenges facing the country, the President has made the right decision in ordering that there should be no government funded Independence Day celebrations.
On his part, National Anti-Corruption Alliance chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa also commended the decision, but he called for transparency on how much government is saving through austerity measures and how such resources are being used.
The Democratic Progressive Party administration introduced austerity measures, including a recruitment freeze, cuts in fuel allocations and new vehicle purchases upon assuming office following its triumph in the September 16 2025 General Election to contain public spending and stabilise the economy.
