Leader of opposition in Malawi Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa says President Lazarus Chakwera’s national address has left Malawians with a lot of unanswered questions, arguing that the president was supposed to as well tackle other burning issues.
President Chakwera on Tuesday evening addressed the nation regarding issues of agriculture ahead of the farming season and particularly the mess surrounding the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).
In his address, President Chakwera fired Lobin Lowe as Minister of Agriculture together with his Deputy Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima over mismanagement of this year’s AIP and he has since replaced him with Minister of Lands Sam Kawale.
The president said he arrived at the decision to fire the two in connection with the issue of missing of taxpayers’ money that were meant to purchase fertilizer under AIP which he has described as negligence in the procurement process.
Reacting to the national address, Nankhumwa who is also Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice president for the south, commended president Chakwera for his bold decision to fire the minister claiming this is exactly what he recently demanded.
However, Nankhumwa said that the firing of the minister and his deputy is not enough saying Chakwera was also supposed to sack other staff members from the affected ministries who are implicated in the saga.
“I recently demanded that the Minister of Agriculture Honourable Lobin Lowe must be removed following the various bottlenecks rocking this year’s AIP, including a financial scandal. In his address, the President announced he had relieved Honourable Lowe of his ministerial position. President Chakwera also fired Honourable Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, who deputized Honourable Lowe.
“While it was imperative to remove the two Honourable individuals and appointing Honourable Sam Kawale to manage the Agriculture portfolio, I had expected the President to take further steps to deal with the technical staff that connived with the former minister in the infamous K750 million AIP scandal,” said Nankhumwa.
He further told Chakwera that he should not get excited to have fired Lowe claiming this development does not mean the end of socioeconomic challenges people in the country are going through in their day to day lives.
The leader of opposition further reminded President Chakwera to be so conscious about solving other challenges adding that the firing of Lowe and Wirima would not solve electricity and fuel woes this country is currently facing.
Nankhumwa further mentioned that Malawians needs more of Chakwera’s actions in ending the socio-economic challenges that have rocked the country and added that the address was also supposed to tackle other important issues including the missing of 18 trucks that were carrying NFRA Maize, not just the firing of the two.
“Mr. President, firing Honourable Lowe is not addressing the ADMARC issues; it is not going to bring food and water in our prisons. I wish to remind President Chakwera that a bag of maize, our staple, is selling at K22,000, and a bag of fertilizer is still at K70,000, even after firing Honourable Lowe.
“A packet of sugar is now selling at K1,500 even after firing Honourable Lowe. What about the shortage of essential drugs in our hospitals; the continuing nepotism; and unfair distribution of the national cake?
Malawians need answers and not blame games. The time is now!” he added.
Nankhumwa continued by saying that it is very unfortunate that president Chakwera is scapegoating and heaping the blame on others instead of taking responsibility as Head of State himself.
He concluded by saying that he shall soon address the nation to comprehensively put across his position as the opposition on the matters raised in the President’s National Address where he said he shall also be announcing their next course of action regarding the socio-economic situation in our country.
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