Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) George Chaponda has said that the Mid-year budget review meeting has offered little hope or direction.
In his sine-die statement on the Mid-Year Budget Review Meeting, Chaponda said inflation has soared to over 33 percent, interest rates have exceeded 25 percent, and the cost of living has become unbearable for ordinary Malawians.
“Madam Speaker, the kwacha continues to lose value, eroding the purchasing power of our people and pushing millions deeper into poverty. These economic challenges have been exacerbated by the government’s failure to implement its own austerity measures. Despite repeatedly calling for sacrifices from ordinary Malawians, the President has traveled outside the country over 60 times with large delegations, burdening taxpayers with unnecessary expenses. This hypocrisy is both insulting and unsustainable.
“Madam Speaker, the promises made by President Lazarus Chakwera and his government remain unfulfilled. They promised change, accountability, prosperity, and reforms, but they have delivered none of these. Instead, they have presided over economic mismanagement, rising unemployment, and deepening poverty. Answering Nkhatabay North West question, the President’s justified that fertilizer prices that are now exceeding 100 Thousand Kwacha are somehow manageable because two bags of maize can be sold to purchase one bag of fertilizer.
“This reflects a shocking disconnect from reality. Many Malawians cannot even access a single bag of maize, let alone two to sell. Madam Speaker, the ongoing hunger crisis highlights the government’s failure to plan and provide for the people. The absence of maize in the national grain reserves and the collapse of ADMARC are glaring examples of this incompetence.
“Farmers lack the necessary inputs, agricultural productivity has declined, and Malawians are now facing unprecedented levels of hunger. It was therefore unfortunate, to see the Leader of the House failing to extend time for the President to answer this question. Most members including Mangochi South west had supplementary questions over this hunger,” he said
