As President Lazarus Chakwera prepares for the upcoming election on September 16th, it is crucial to consider the significant political mistakes that were made during his time in office.
Firstly, Chakwera is the first president in Malawi who lied in his recent state of the nation address.
For example, he claimed that police houses were built in Likoma, but no such construction really occurred
Another blue lie was his claim that MK600 million had been disbursed to NEEF loans, but only MK150 million was actually made available.
Obviously such discrepancies have serious implications for Chakwera’s public trust, governance and accountability.
Secondly, Chakwera made history in Malawi by becoming the first president to personally sign a questionable agreement for a $6.8 billion grant with Bridgin Foundation at Kamuzu Palace on November 28, 2022.
According to the agreement, Bridgin was responsible for funding the building of a technologically advanced fertilizer production facility in Lilongwe, a Geology Centre at Mzuzu University, a high-tech laboratory at Malawi University of Science and Technology, a twin-tower at Capital Hill, and Inkosi ya Makhosi M’Mbelwa University in Mzimba, among others. However, after four years, no progress has been made on these projects.
Thirdly, the arrest and removal of Martha Chizuma from her position as Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) by President Lazarus Chakwera, even though he had promised to back her, were driven by political motives and appeared to contradict his earlier statements.
Some critics claim that Martha’s arrest weakened the independence of ACB, as it was a strategy by Chakwera’s administration to shield government corrupt officials.
Fourthly, President Chakwera is well-known for being contradictory in his actions. Despite pledging to fight corruption during his campaign, he granted a pardon to Uladi Mussa, a former cabinet minister who was convicted of corruption, as well as Bakili Muluzi and Saulos Chilima, both suspected of corruption. This inconsistency undermines the public’s trust in him and his ability to govern effectively.
Lastly but not least, as the cost of goods and services continues to rise and with a shortage of foreign exchange and fuel, along with high inflation rates, there were widespread expectations among Malawians that Chakwera would step down after making a pledge to do so if he failed to fulfill the hopes of the people as their President.
In conclusion, Chakwera’s leadership has been clouded by political mistakes, inconsistencies, and conflicts, which means that voters must choose wisely in the upcoming elections. .
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