…say president should cancel Egypt trip
Leader of opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa has demanded for an immediate dissolving of cabinet and has proposed a lean cabinet of not more than 18 ministers and deputies.
Nankhumwa was speaking this at a press briefing in Lilongwe where he also announced his commitment to participating in all anti-government protests to come, as a way expressing anger for impunity and arrogance which he said has rocked the country.
The Leader of Opposition said a true and servant leader is known during a crisis just like the current situation but president Chakwera has failed to prove to the nation that he will take the country to another level.
Nankhumwa who is also Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice president for the Southern Region said in a time like this President Chakwera was supposed to make some bold decisions which will see the country prospering on development.
He says the firing of former Agriculture Minister Lobin Lowe alone is not the solution to the challenges and has since urged the president to dissolve the whole cabinet for failure to deliver what they were appointed for.
“Malawi is in a crisis and it is the duty and responsibility of President Chakwera to take urgent measures to avoid plunging the country into a complete Failed State. I am asking him to dissolve the whole cabinet and appoint a lean one of about 18 members to cut on spending. DPP at a certain point did this and it worked.
“In a crisis like this, President Chakwera is also supposed to reduce the number of presidential advisors. They are too many and in fact this advisory task can be performed by cabinet ministers,” said Nankhumwa.
The Leader of Opposition further added that at a time when Chakwera is supposed to part ways with both local and international trips, it is very pathetic that he will this weekend travel to Egypt, a trip which he said should be cancelled so as to use the resources in addressing some burning challenges.
“It is surprising that this weekend he will be flying to Egypt. Such trips are a huge drain on public resources both in forex and local currency. Its reasonable to cancel the trip because the time he will be flying out, there will still be long queues for fuel. He should also reduce the presidential motorcade as most of the vehicles there are fuel guzzlers,” he added.
Nankhumwa has also urged President Chakwera to immediately call for ‘An All-inclusive National Consultative Conference’ where all stakeholders such as religious leaders, the academia, the business community, political party leaders among others, should be invited.
