Leader of Opposition in Malawi National Assembly Kondwani Nankhumwa on Friday expressed concerns over the continued skyrocketing of prices of basic commodities in the country.
Nankhumwa said this in his closing remarks after Parliament adjourned following four weeks of deliberations.
Nankhumwa said the current status of economy is the source of hardshi among Malawians.
“People are going through hardships because of economic crisis where shortage of fuel, forex and maize is ongoing problems,” he said.
He asked government to stand up and address some of the challenges such as shortage of maize on the market.
He suggested that President Lazarus Chakwera should suspend foreign trips saying the travels are draining forex.
In his remarks, leader of the house Richard Chimwendo Banda said government has started addressing some of the challenges affecting the country and is committed to continue providing solutions to the problems.
He mentioned for example that after concerns about blackouts, the country is now celebrating the solution government brought.
“As we are no longer experiencing blackouts, government has released maize to admarc markets for people to start buying at affordable price to address hunger situation,” added Chimwendo.
He noted that the just ended parliament sitting discussed critical issues for the nation and also passed bills which will contribute to the development of all citizens.
“Apart from passing of bills, we discussed very critical issues for people we represent such as availability of maize, progress of road projects, university zchool fees and rural electrification project which everyone is expected to benefit,” he said.
He assured that government will continue to listen to the concerns of people and find ways of addressing them.
Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara advised members to avoid unnecessary absenteeism as one way to effectively provide their representation and oversight roles.
She warned that her office will take appropriate measures during future parliament sittings to control such kind of absenteeism.
Over 10 bills were passed and several ministerial statements and committee reports were presented during the four week period of deliberations.
