The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has asked the Tonse Alliance to rise above party politics and stop using taxpayers’ money to finance Malawi Congress Party (MCP) campaign rallies ahead of the 2025 General Election.
Executive Director, Sylvester Namiwa, made the statement on Thursday during a press that was conducted in Lilongwe.
In his speech, Namiwa said that CDEDI has taken this position following the hijacking of the Kamuzu Day commemoration that took place at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Tuesday which reportedly cost the taxpayer a whopping MK90 million, only to turn it into an MCP campaign rally.
He added that by falling into the trap of politicizing the event, President Chakwera and his cronies only succeeded in diluting the importance of remembering the country’s first post-independence leader.
“President Chakwera should be reminded that he declared Malawi a state of disaster earlier this year, implying that the country needs well-wishers to feed its starving citizenry. Therefore, it is only fair and prudent that he should act as a parent in need of assistance to save his children from starvation.
“Otherwise, the MCP’s lavish spending under the pretext of remembering Kamuzu was a cause that did not go well with the state of affairs in the country. To be precise, it was a needless luxury,” he explained.
He further reminded Chakwera that under his watch, public debt has ballooned to unprecedented levels, staggering at MK13 trillion when the poor majority of this country is struggling to survive.
He suggested that it is better to commemorate the day near Kamuzu Mausoleum in Lilongwe to reduce costs than moving it to Blantyre, or any other part of the country.
He has challenged Chakwera’s administration to refund the Treasury the hard-earned public money they used to finance the Kamuzu Stadium political rally.
Meanwhile, CDED is also demanding an explanation from Director of Public Prosecutions, Masauko Chamkakala, Attorney General Thabo Chaka Nyirenda, and Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau on the misappropriation of 1,500 metric tons of Salima sugar exported by Mount Meru to Rwanda.
