Malata, Cement Subsidies Form Of Dependency

Lazarus Chakwera

Leader of Opposition in Parliament attacks Malata and Cement Subsidy programme pursued by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Government as unsound plan which make citizens dependent to Government.

The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president said Malawians do not deserve better housing, but there is a better way to increase access to such amenities. 

Chakwera mentioned that his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) believe that the best way to improve living standards and conditions is to increase the capacity of Malawians through private sector jobs and businesses that generate enough income for them to build their own houses. 

He said current subsidy is one way of encouraging citizens overdependence on Government which encourages consumption capacity instead of building productive capacity to generate adequate revenues in future.

"Mr. Speaker Sir, instead of building productive capacity to generate adequate revenues in future, the Executive is busy building consumption capacity – continuing with its expansion of such consumption avenues as the Malata and Cement Subsidy.” He said

“Who in their right mind increases consumption when productivity is shrinking? Besides, when are we going to open our eyes to see that knee-jerk subsidy programs are the most vulnerable to abuse?" Said Chakwera in his response to the State of the National Address 

He went on; "No President can say in one breath that the Government needs to move away from dependency on donors and at the same time sink Malawians deeper into dependency on Government subsidies. Malawi does not need a President who invents new ways to spend Malawians‟ money, but one who creates new ways for Malawians to create wealth which they can spend as they see fit. How can this president administer a cure for our economic ills if he is unable to see that dependency on subsidies is part of the sickness? How can Malawians be engaged in activities that grow the economy when he is busy deepening their sense of dependency?"

Chakera also questions criteria of selecting 80 beneficiaries in the programme per constituency, parameters used among others.

"Mr Speaker Sir, the President said that 80 beneficiaries in the Malata and Cement Subsidy have been identified per constituency in all the 193 constituencies. Many questions arise: What were the criteria for selecting the beneficiaries? What parameters did they use? Who selected those beneficiaries? Hindsight teaches us that these kinds of programs are ill advised, ill-devised, and ill-executed."

    

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