The Tonse Alliance administration has come under fire over its plans to spend K244 million on July 6 Independence celebrations.
Chairperson of the organising committee Richard Chimwendo who is also Minister of Homeland Security has announced the budget for the 57th Independence Day celebrations today.
Chimwendo said celebrations will take place in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu and Covid-19 prevention measures will be observed.
According to Chimwendo, celebrations will be held at Grand Palace in Mzuzu where a maximum of 400 people will attend, BICC in Lilongwe with 600 attendees, and COMESA Hall in Blantyre where 500 people will be allowed to enter.
Malawians on social media have, however, attacked Government for choosing to spend such an amount of money on celebrations despite the worsening economic situation.
“We’re failing to pay secondary school teachers their June salaries but we have enough to play around with for independence celebrations. How insensitive,” said activist Onjezani Kenani in a Facebook post.
While Journalist Thula Chisamba wrote: “0.2 billion Malawi Kwacha to be wasted on a useless event, really? While we’ve no drugs in the hospitals? University students are on the verge of withdrawing! Prices of goods ain’t touching down! This scrapyard of a country is cursed.”
With over 229 new Covid-19 cases recorded yesterday, there are also concerns that the celebrations could lead to a further spread of Covid-19.
“Our world will not come to an end if we fail to commemorate the 6th of July this year. Buy medicine, equip the hospitals, do the right thing,” said Kenani in another Facebook post.
