Mtsogoleli wa dziko lino a Lazarus Chakwera adzudzula dzipani dzotsutsa boma kaamba kofalitsa nkhani zabodza pa nkhani ya kakweledwe ka katundu dziko muno.
Poyakhula ku nyumba ya malamulo a Chakwera ati pali a ndale ena kumbali yotsutsa omwe akumakolezela nkhani ya kukwela kwa katundu dziko muno pouza anthu ochita malonda kuti achite izi pongofuna kupeza mphindu pa ndale.
President Chakwera
“Akuchita kulenga khani ya kukwela kwa mitengo ya katundu kwa anthu ogulitsa zithu zosiyanasiyana m’dziko muno pongofuna kuipitsa boma langa. Koma boma langa litengapo gawo pofuna kuthana ndi onse ochita izi,” a Chakwera anatelo.
A Chakwera anati ali pa ntchito yokonzanso dziko lino ndipo sangalole kuti asokonezedwe ndi kagulu ka anthu kochepa kofuna zawo zokha kuti ziyende posayang’anila chuma ndi umoyo wa aMalawi.
Ndipo a Chakwera anapitiliza kunena kuti ngati mbali imodzi yofuna kukonzanso zithu pa khani ya mitengo ya katundu m’dziko muno, asakha a Vitumbiko Mumba kukhala nduna ya tsopano ya zamalonda ndi ma fakitale kufuna kuteteza malonda omwe aMalawi amachita tsiku ndi tsiku.
Malawi leader President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has advised leader of opposition in Parliament George Chaponda to learn to leave prophecies to those who have a calling.
Chakwera made the remarks at Parliament building in Lilongwe saying he has been informed of Chaponda’s response to his State of National Address (SONA) through his excellent informants
“Since it is now settled beyond the shadow of a doubt that I have excellent informants, I am reliably informed that the leader of opposition response to my State of National Address SONA included a declaration that this would be my last SONA because he predicts that I will not be returning to this House as a President after the upcoming September elections,” he said.
President Chakwera
The Malawi leader has therefore sent a warning to the leader of opposition that those statements may bring shame on his face finding himself standing in the House (Parliament building) in October to withdraw that prediction which the President calls it as from the Hansard for being a false prophecy.
Malawi’s Accountant General, Henry Mphasa, has revealed that the growing trend of civil servants opting for early retirement is straining the country’s pension system.
According to Mphasa, nearly 32 percent of civil servants are choosing to retire voluntarily while still at a productive age, with many seeking greener pastures after 20 years of service.
This surge in early retirements has resulted in a significant backlog of unpaid pension gratuities, with some dating back to 2022.
Mphasa acknowledged that the situation is expected to worsen in the coming years, but expressed optimism that the transition to the Contributory Pension scheme will eventually reduce the government’s terminal benefit obligations.
In an effort to address the situation, the government has secured a K100 billion facility specifically allocated for clearing outstanding gratuities starting from December last year.
However, Pensioners President, Nellie Mkhumba, has raised concerns that the disbursement of funds for at least 12,000 pensioners was halted in December 2024, with the money being withheld at the Reserve Bank of Malawi pending administrative processes.
The delay in pension payments has been a long-standing issue in Malawi, with retirees often waiting years to access their gratuities.
Many have decried the inefficiencies in the system, citing bureaucratic red tape, lack of proper record-keeping, and funding shortages as major obstacles.
The government’s efforts to clear the backlog of unpaid gratuities are a step in the right direction, but stakeholders warn that unless the structural challenges in pension administration are resolved, the problem will persist.
As the country prepares for the 2025 national elections, the government’s ability to address pension delays could become a key issue, with frustrated pensioners and their families demanding urgent action.
In the meantime, civil servants contemplating early retirement are weighing the risks, as delays in pension payments have left many struggling to sustain themselves post-retirement.
The Concerned Retired Civil Servants have been vocal about their concerns, scheduling meetings with the Accountant General to address the longstanding issues.
As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is clear: the government must prioritize the welfare of its retired civil servants and work towards a more efficient and sustainable pension system.
The K100 billion facility is a welcome development, but it is only the first step in addressing the deeper structural challenges that have led to this crisis.
The Inter-Faith Forum for Peace, Justice and Dialogue (IFPJD) has called upon all relevant authorities and stakeholders precisely the MCP government to immediately address commodity prices concerns without allowing chaos from the citizenry in response to this sad and unsafe situation.
The IFPJD says commodity prices have badly and heavily risen up and become unaffordable to every Malawian, people have no alternative means of survival, people are angry because they are hungry saying their constitutional rights are in total breach.
The Forum has noted which a great concern that nobody seems accountable at all to the people that are governed on trust, there is no equality at all observing that those in authority have become more equal than the rest.
In a statement dated 20th February, 2025 signed by its Secretary General Bishop Dr. Damson Mchenga, the IFPJD has condemned the secret move and plan to introduce the Age Limit Bill in the current sitting of Parliament describing this as very dangerous, destructive and retrogressive tool against the country’s democracy.
The IFPJD says the acts of introducing Age Limit Bill are capable of causing uncalled for disagreements, violence, and disunity in the August House and indeed the whole country recommending the acts to be stopped by any people or groupings that are planning, funding or working on this mischievous scheme.
The Forum says the Malawi Electoral Commission(Mec) has a crucial role to conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible 16th September, 2025 General Elections devoid of any irregularities whatsoever and to ensuring that it is an independent Umpire.
It says in its previous statement, it presented concerns over the electoral process from different groups of people in the country, but unfortunately, the Forum is continuing receiving concerns on the way the Mec conducted voter registration processes.
The IFPJD has expressed fears that many people still complain and believe that the process was conducted to favor a single electoral player-the Ruling MCP describing this as unwelcome and bias in any democratic society advising Mec to reorganize their conduct to earn the lost trust of many Malawians and the international community.
The Forum says any election results that lack transparency, fairness and credibility is a catalyst of violence and civil instability against a democratic society calling upon the Mec to heed the public’s concern about the introduction and use of the Smartmatic Machine or the use of other electronic election aiding machines.
“The fact that in other countries the Smartmatic machine has become the cause of tensions between the Ruling Party and Opposition Parties after releasing election results, Malawians do not trust the operations of this machine, there’s need for citizens to be given adequate time and civic education to understand how the machine operates,” reads the statement in part.
The Forum has also registered its concern over the political terrain or landscape in the country that it is slowly becoming intolerable observing that Section 65 is no longer applied to Members of Parliament and all political parties are not avoiding the use of handouts.
The IFPJD has finally commended to government that all Malawians be allowed to enjoy their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech by commenting on issues that affect their daily lives including the recently made SONA by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera saying all threats and witch-hunting acts and practices against those exercising their freedom in this regard or any other, is a dangerous Cancer capable of killing the country’s democracy.
In a surprise move, President Lazarus Chakwera has withdrawn part of his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that was being queried by critics.
The announcement comes after widespread criticism of the SONA, with many accusing the President of presenting a misleading picture of the state of the nation.
Speaking during President Question Time, Chakwera acknowledged that he is not immune to mistakes, just like everyone else.
“Madam Speaker, I have never claimed to be an angel and so are other leaders.Those who are looking for a leader who is an angel should vote for someone else this year,” he said.
Leader of Opposition Dr George Chaponda greeting Dr Lazarus Chakwera
However, the President also fired back at his critics, accusing them of trying to gain political mileage by accusing him of lying.
He challenged the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw parts of his speech where he accused him of lying.
The withdrawal of part of the SONA is seen as a significant climbdown by the President, who has been under pressure to defend his address.
The opposition has been vocal in its criticism of the SONA, with Leader of the Opposition George Chaponda describing it as “talk is cheap, lies have short legs”.
The controversy surrounding the SONA has highlighted the deepening divisions between the ruling party and the opposition.
The opposition has accused the President of presenting a misleading picture of the state of the nation, while the ruling party has defended the address as accurate.
The withdrawal of part of the SONA is likely to be seen as a victory for the opposition, which has been pushing for greater accountability from the President.
However, it remains to be seen whether the move will be enough to appease critics and restore trust in the President’s leadership.
As the debate over the SONA continues, one thing is clear: the President’s leadership is under intense scrutiny, and he will need to do more to convince Malawians that he is committed to transparency and accountability.
In related news, the opposition has been calling for the President to withdraw the entire SONA, citing inaccuracies and misinformation.
It remains to be seen whether the President will heed this call, or whether the withdrawal of part of the SONA will be enough to diffuse the controversy.
