PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2025
The Blue League joins the members of the public in condemning in strongest terms the political arrests that have occurred today, 6th January, 2025. These arrests demonstrate the depths to which MCP has sunk in its desperate attempt to silence opposition voices as our country endures unprecedented man-made calamities.
When MCP became the ruling Party after leading the Tonse alliance in the court-sanctioned 2020 Fresh Elections, they inherited a manageable economy with strong forex reserves covering 6 months of imports. Today, we stand at a mere one-day cover, while national debt has exploded from 4.5 trillion to a staggering 16 trillion Kwacha. This catastrophic decline exemplifies their economic mismanagement.
The suffering of Malawians has reached unprecedented levels. Citizens now sleep in their vehicles at filling stations, desperate for fuel that may never come. Basic commodities have become luxury items, with prices increasing by over 300%. Multiple currency devaluations have destroyed citizens’ purchasing power, while businesses collapse due to power outages and forex shortages.
We have witnessed man-made hunger caused by MCP through their thwarting of fertilizer availability, predominantly due to their forex externalization through unnecessary foreign trips and dubious fertilizer purchases from pharmacies and butcheries. The promised reduction of national debt to 1 trillion has instead turned into a 16 trillion nightmare. Their promise of creating 1 million jobs has resulted in thousands of job losses due to business closures.
The country now stands fragmented due to MCP’s nepotism, acrimony and segregation. Since 2020, one must belong to the central region to be considered for a government contract or job. While citizens from all regions contribute to national revenues through taxes, government appointments and opportunities are restricted to one region. This tribal politics has no place in modern Malawi.Amidst these man-made calamities, MCP has unleashed havoc on DPP members through systematic persecution. The victims include Norman Chisale, Ben Phiri, Joseph Mwanamvekha, Ana Achepa, Peter Mukhitho, Sameer Suleman and many others. These are the very individuals who led our country to prosperity and created the economic gains that MCP inherited and squandered. The persecution of former ACB Director Martha Chizuma in 2022 was just the beginning of this witch-hunt.
The hypocrisy of this administration is staggering. While they rush to arrest opposition figures, they deliberately ignore:- The 6 billion Kwacha COVID-19 funds scandal that left our relatives dying without proper care- The mysterious disappearance of forex reserves- The questionable fuel procurement deals leading to current shortages- The inflated infrastructure project costs contributing to our debt crisis- The scandalous AIP fertilizer procurement from UK butcheriesLives are being lost in our public hospitals due to lack of essential drugs. Patients suffer without balanced diets. Civil servants are struggling with poor salaries. Yet the government wastes resources on political persecution instead of addressing these crucial issues.
The Blue League calls upon Mr. Lazarus Chakwera and his government to heal the nation by providing lasting solutions to these man-made challenges. The people arrested today should instead be consulted on how they managed to maintain forex reserves, ensure fuel availability, and lead Malawi to prosperity. The likes of Hon Mwanamvekha successfully managed our economy when others now failing were nowhere to be seen.
To the citizens spending nights in fuel queues, to the businesses struggling to survive, to the youth without jobs, to the farmers without fertilizer, to every Malawian suffering under this administration’s incompetence, your day of liberation draws near.
This is the only nation we have and we should carry it like an egg. We know you are going and have only few months remaining. Is this the first time MCP is leaving government? No. In 1994, people chased you out. Your return through UTM’s help has brought nothing but suffering to Malawians.
Musadandaule nzosiilana izi, ena alowe, muzalowanso m’boma in the next life.
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