Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) George Chaponda has said that the overwhelming sentiment from diverse voices is that the living conditions of Malawians have significantly worsened over the past five years, with a clear consensus that people are much worse off in 2025 than they were in 2020.
He made the remarks during his sine die statement of the 1st meeting of 51st session of Parliament, Chaponda titled; “The Failed Chakwera Administration: Malawians Demand a Return to Proven Leadership.”
Among other things, Chaponda mentioned the rise of maize prices, cost of fuel, inflation and forex shortage.
“Under the leadership of Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, Malawians could afford three meals a day because the price of maize was affordable at K6000 per fifty kilogram bag. Amalawi sanadyepo chitedze nthawi ya Professor Mutharika.
“Madam Speaker, fertilizer was accessible to many Malawians at around K18, 000 per fifty kilogram bag, and those who could not afford it benefited from the fertilizer and input subsidy program, which ensured timely distribution before the planting season. Transportation of goods and services was manageable because the cost of fuel was affordable at K600 per litre. This had a positive ripple effect on the prices of goods and services. Commodities such as sugar, Azam washing soap, soya pieces, and cooking oil were reasonably priced that every Malawian could afford.
“Madam Speaker, inflation was kept in check at single digit between 7 and 9 percent. In fact, the macroeconomic policies of the DPP-led administration ensured that money circulated among ordinary citizens rather than being concentrated among a select few.
“Madam Speaker, forex reserves were stable, with an import cover of more than six months. Under Professor Mutharika’s leadership, Malawi was able to import essential commodities without experiencing any forex shortages. Despite these achievements, the current administration had the audacity to label the DPP-led government as “rubble.” President Chakwera claimed that he was elected to correct the prevailing state of affairs, which he described as plagued by corruption, an over-powerful Executive, and poor governance.
“He promised servant leadership, equitable healthcare under Universal Health Coverage, modern schools with adequate teaching materials, the creation of one million jobs, and a revived ADMARC, among other lofty aspirations. Madam Speaker, five years later, Malawians have assessed the promises made by this administration against the reality of their lived experiences. The findings are sobering.
“Therefore, I want to use the voices of Malawians themselves through what media has been covering; what authentic research institutions have been gathering; what various stakeholders such as religious leaders, Civil Society Organisations have been saying, what think tanks such as Malawi Law Society, Economics Association of Malawi, Consumer Association of Malawi have been gathering and commenting; what observers have been saying; and more importantly what ordinary Malawians have been discussing in the streets,” he said
