We, members of the Bottom Up delegation led by our indomitable leader, Genuine Professor Ms. Joyce Befu, MG 66, and the Most Excellent Achiever, Mega-1, have a proposal to make to the nation.
Everybody knows that we are going through a period where money does not matter. Goods are unreachable. The money we get as pensioners, civil servants, etc cannot finish a housing project and it cannot feed a family.
Those who have luxury household items such as televisions and radio sets are selling them off to buy fertiliser, yet we have an agriculture inputs subsidy programme that consumes close to 20 percent of the National Budget. What we get is far from what we put in.
The next government, Lazarus Chakwera’s or another, must phase out the Affordable Inputs Subsidy (AIP) targeting the poor farmers. The money must, instead, be given to commercial farmers so that they produce more maize for us to buy cheaply. Yes, support commercial farmers, ye shall feed the nation and continue AIP ye shall starve the nation.
Agriculture investment experts have time and again said that Malawi needs just 10 serious commercial farmers to operate selected mega farms to produce food for Malawi. Give them enough support, extension officers, IT leeway, and a conducive policy direction; and Malawi will graduate from begging for food. Learn to listen.
Since politicians prefer to listen to echo chambers, time has come for accountability. Account for the AIP money and explain why we are failing kudya katatu.
We also wonder why retired primary school teachers and many civil servants are not paid their pensions, the money that they have for years laboured for and been insulted for. Yet billions of kwacha are spent on people that already enjoy AIP money.
Teachers are told to wait as the currency gets eroded. They are told to travel from Chitipa, Nsanje and Likoma to Lilongwe to process their retirement packages. Do something, please.
Now, we have very sad news from Blantyre City. In this city, the city we love, and the city that has informed many tales, the council has approved a budget of close to K44.7 billion and therefrom it has allocated K34 billion to personal emoluments while 10 billion has been set aside for developments and other recurrent expenditures. Personal emoluments include salaries, leave grants, special allowances, transport allowance, chiefs’ and councillors’ honoraria. Insensitivity cannot surpass this.
Finally, every parliamentarian is responsible for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in their constituency. Since 2024, each Member of Parliament (MP) has been allocated K200 million per annum for development activities and school fees in the constituency.
Time has now come for every MP to account for this allocation. Go to every constituency and tell us what is on the ground. What is on the ground in Mangochi? What is on the ground in Thyolo? What is on the ground in Mchinji? And what is on the ground in Nkhata Bay, Tongaland? And in Rumphi, Phokaland?
We ask because K200 million per constituency multiplied by 193 = K386 billion invested in Malawi per since lasy year. What has the money done?
Our economy riddled with corruption. Now, we believe.
