Several Malawians have disagreed with the United States government for lauding President Lazarus Chakwera as an economic engineer as the economy tumbles.
This week, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised President Lazarus Chakwera for showing courage by taking “painful corrective economic decisions” that Blinken said will help Malawi in the long term.
His remarks came after the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) described Malawi one of the best economic performers.
However, Malawians have disagreed, saying measures Chakwera introduced such as the 25 percent devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha have left many Malawians suffering following the subsequent rise in prices of goods and services.
“Thank you, US government, for being happy with economic crisis in Malawi so that we can suffer more,” said a commenter on Malawi24’s Facebook post about Blinken’s remarks.
On a Malawi24 Facebook post about the MCC’s assessment of Malawi, one person said: “These guys joke a lot they give African president honours degree, PhD, they praise election which was not fair and praise the economy which is performing bad. What do they really want?”
Another commenter said: “This is an insult to all Malawians. Especially the poorest who are struggling to put food on the table. God forgive Americans.”
In a survey which Malawi24 conducted on Twitter, 84 percent of those who voted described the economy as dipping under President Lazarus Chakwera.
US calls Malawi a best economic performer
The United States through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has called Malawi one of the best economic performers under the current administration.
Do you agree? https://t.co/2LrNmozgsX
— Malawi24 (@Malawi24) September 22, 2022
Findings from our Twitter survey align with findings from an Afrobarometer survey which established that Chakwera is losing public support, with over 65 percent of people surveyed disapproving of his leadership and a majority stating that the country’s economy is going in the wrong direction.
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