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Tonse Alliance should stop blaming DPP—Nankhumwa

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa has urged President Lazarus Chakwera and his Tonse Alliance partners to concentrate on finding solutions to current challenges facing the country instead of wasting time pointing fingers at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Nankhumwa said Malawians are looking forward to the Tonse Alliance administration to begin fulfilling the myriad promises it made during campaign instead of blaming the previous regime for its own mess.

Nankhumwa (front left) interacting with fish vendors in one of the markets in Blantyre

Nankhumwa said this on Thursday at the end of his day-long tour of some shops and markets in Blantyre City to assess what he described as “the social and economic impact of the recent fuel price hike on businesses and people’s livelihood”.

The Mulanje Central DPP legislator visited Agora Limited in Limbe, Limbe second-hand clothes market, Ndirande Market, Chichiri Shoprite and Blantyre Main Market before jumping into a passenger minibus to Limbe.

Speaking to the media after his tour, Nankhumwa bemoaned the tendency by in-coming administrations to push the blame to preceding regimes instead of concentrating on finding solutions to the challenges.

He was reacting to sentiments by some Tonse Alliance leaders who have alleged that the country is facing economic challenges because the DPP messed up the economy.

“It’s very unfortunate that every government that comes into the system would blame the previous administration for whatever mess they are in.

“To claim that what Malawians are experiencing today is because of poor economic policies by the DPP government is an insult not only to the DPP, but to the people of Malawi as well,” said Nankhumwa.

He said the Tonse Alliance administration needed to know that government business was a relay-race where when is done with his or her part another person takes over.

“But continuing with this blame-game will not help the country because the Tonse Alliance administration will also go and another government will come. Should they really, therefore, be busy blaming MCP for the mess they would be in at that time, the answer is no,” he said.

Nankhumwa said it was time the current regime was responsible by finding strategies of cushioning the suffering of Malawians.

He cited downward review or complete removal of some levies put on fuel, which would result in reduction of the price of fuel.

Nankhumwa also urged Chakwera to consider reducing his “costly local and foreign trips”, including those of his Cabinet ministers, for the country to save and contribute the same savings to fuel stabilisation fund to stabilise the price of fuel.

“This is a call to this government to start thinking strategically to ensure that Malawians are happy and able to conduct their businesses in a conducive and fair environment,” he said.

During the tour Nankhumwa was accompanied by several MPs, including Sameer Suleman of Blantyre City South East, Victor Musowa of Mulanje Bale and William Susuwele Banda of Zomba Lisanjala.

On his part, Musowa observed that Malawians were now paying more for everything than was the case a few months ago, because the cost of goods and services has suddenly gone up.

Musowa also urged Chakwera to explore actionable approaches to mitigate the social and economic impact Malawians are facing.

“We also need government to fulfill all its promises and make public all names of beneficiaries of the K70 billion basket funds under the National Economic Empowerment Fund (Neef),” he said.

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