Mw Govt Hits Back at Chakwera Sentiments
 |
| Kondwani Nankhumwa |
The Malawi Government has hit back at several sentiments that
Leader of Opposition and President for Malawi Congress Party MCP made on Monday
during a press briefing at its party head quarters in Lilongwe.
During the conference Chakwera said Mutharika government has
failed in almost everything due to deepening sorry state of affairs of Malawi
“The dark shadow of protests now hangs over the education system, the justice
system, and the legislative system, and if the President is not careful, his
tenure in office may be reduced to a presidency of protests.”
“Instead of solving the salary problems of teachers, civil
servants, and judiciary staff within the rule of law, the President’s
government chooses to distract Malawians with the revelation that effective
from October 1, salaries for MPs, Ministers, Leader of Opposition, Vice
President, and the President himself were increased by 376%, 168%, and 80%
respectively” aid Chakwera
He denied that the increment was debated or approved in
parliament but was convinced that the decision was between the President and
his Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe.
Chakwera asked Mutharika to reverse decision of suspending
his salary hike waiting for economy to respond because it is just creation of a
perception that he is not greedy when he is just postponing the time of
payment. And instead Chakwera asks Mutharika to uphold the decision he made in
August not to approve salary increments.
 |
| Chakwera said government has failed |
“I will never tire and
I will never relent from speaking the truth. And here is the truth: 7 months
ago, we had a childish government; Now we have an unethical government. After
all, if the President rejected something as unethical in August, then approved
it in September, then pretended to suspend his own decision in December, then
he is a hypocrite whose government is run by distractions and deceptions, not
leadership.” Said Chakwera who
also asked Mutharika to resignation of if he finds it hard to end numerous
challenges that Malawians are experiencing
Government
statement signed by Hon Kondwani Nakhumwa Minister of Information Tourism and
Culture faults Chakwera on every point “Like a Pharisee of now, Hon. Reverend
Chakwera, would obviously have loved to see - as we have been instructed by his
manner of effort, tone and mood - President Mutharika and his administration
wear sack cloths and flagellate themselves to demonstrate that they care.”
“There
will be no empty theatrical gestures or actions or pronouncements, no prancing
on the stage and no flagellation, but we will simply continue to act against
the suffering of our people, as decisively as we have sought and resolved to,
without being seduced to do otherwise by holier than thou sentiments of those
that are obsessed with the desperation of seeking cheap political capital from
the sanctuaries where the untried and the untested hide, who because they are
in the safety of not being in office, and who by possessing the advantage of
not being on the stage of public scrutiny, pretend to be present day Messiahs
with all the answers.”
The
statement says Government is solving economic woes inherited six months ago
among them is undertaking Public Service Reforms.
On
recent announced salaries government wondered as to why MCP has taken
conflicting positions because MCP spokesperson Hon Dr. Jessie Kabwila celebrated
the news “and went the whole hog of justifying the salary review.”
 |
| His party not speaking with one voice |
“All the increments are according to the
budget” reads the statement and asked the Opposition Leader to regularly
consult with experienced MPs from his party, to help him understand how to read
budget documents because he approved same figures he is attacking when he voted
for the budget on the floor of the House.
“Government
will not accept that the leader of the opposition should blame his ignorance on
parliamentary matters on the President.” Reads the statement adding “It is
nonsensical for the leader of the opposition to claim that the increments were
deliberately leaked to divert people’s attention from the challenges that the
country is facing because these are not new”
But
the statement challenge Hon. Chakwera to use his position to respond to the
President with a cross-party approach which creates a new spirit of national
unity in dealing with these challenges “Let us consider the need to join hands
to provide our contribution in our respective roles by placing the interest of
the country above that of our own parties or politics in general.”
The
statement says failure to adopt a common vocabulary will consequently be
difficult to enter into the national partnership that Malawi need.
No comments:
Post a Comment