Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa has warned that President Lazarus Chakwera will be held responsible for upsurge in Covid-19 cases in the country, saying the president showed recklessness by holding political rallies earlier this month.
Addressing Parliament yesterday in response to Chakwera’s state of the nation address, Nankhumwa said it was extremely shocking to see the president holding public rallies on May 7 and addressing multitudes of people without regard to basic Covid-19 preventive measures.
The Leader of Opposition argued that the president was in the forefront breaking Covid-19 prevention rules yet it is the President who has been preaching about the dangers of this pandemic and rallying Malawians to observe preventive measures like social distancing and the wearing of face masks amidst the threat of a much deadly third wave.
“This is a sad reality for the country and we shall hold President Chakwera responsible in the event of any upsurge or a spike in the transmission of the coronavirus. He has shown recklessness and a lack of leadership in walking his own talk. He has demonstrated that he cannot rise above board and that he is a President who is vulnerable to the average pressures of partisan politics.
“As I am talking, football games are being played with minimal or without fans as a Covid-19 preventive measure, so why should it be football alone when the President is allowed to be reckless? Our country is not an animal farm where other people are more equal than others. The President should have been exemplary,” he said.
Chakwera on May 7 addressed thousands of supporters at Lumbadzi, Mponela and Madisi Trading Centres in Dowa and Kasungu.
On the same day, thousands of people also gathered in Mzuzu to welcome Chakwera and most of them were not wearing masks and there was no social distancing.
On plunder of Covid-19 funds, Nankhumwa questioned the Chakwera administration’s commitment to auditing the 17.5 billion Kwacha Covid-19 funds as was the case with the 6.2 billion Kwacha audit.
The Leader of Opposition asked the Ministry of Finance to immediately release funds to the National Audit Office (NAO) to carry out an audit of the 17.5 billion Kwacha Covid-19 funds because the nation is eager to know how these funds were utilized.
