The former President, Peter Mutharika, has described Malawi as a nation at crossroads, facing immense challenges due to leadership that has lost direction.
Mutharika, also the leader of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), made these remarks during a televised national address on Sunday. He highlighted three key areas of concern: the hunger crisis, economic collapse, and threats to democracy and freedoms.
Regarding hunger, Mutharika lamented the state of food insecurity in the country, attributing it to the failed implementation of the Affordable Input Program (AIP) farm subsidy, which he believes has been undermined by deep-rooted corruption.
“It is heartbreaking to see how hunger has ravaged our nation, hitting rural communities hardest, where families are now forced to survive on wild foods like zikhawo and chitedze.
Between October 2024 and March 2025, an estimated 28% of Malawi’s population, or 5.7 million people, will face acute food insecurity, the worst in a decade.
This is not just a statistic; it is a failure of governance, where four out of every 10 children suffer from stunting due to chronic malnutrition,” Mutharika said.
The DPP leader also criticized the current government for failing to develop policies to address soaring fertilizer prices, which have risen to an average of K190,000 per 50-kilogram bag.
In contrast, he praised his previous administration for eradicating hunger through effective policies, such as the Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP), later reformed by President Lazarus Chakwera’s government into AIP.
On the economy, Mutharika bemoaned the soaring prices of basic necessities, forex shortages, and fuel unavailability, which have paralyzed the economy and led to high graduate unemployment.
He said, “It is very sad to see how the soaring prices of basic necessities, the crippling forex crisis, and the endless fuel shortages have paralyzed our economy.”
Mutharika’s speech also labeled the recent arrests of DPP senior officials as an instrument of political intimidation aimed at silencing opposition voices.
“The arrests, the police brutality, and the systematic oppression have exposed your fear of accountability,” he said.
Meanwhile, the former President urged Malawians to march into the 2025 September polls with determination and courage to restore the country’s dignity.
However, government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu described Mutharika’s address as having a tone of desperation.
The current Malawi Congress Party (MCP)-led government has blamed the former ruling DPP party for creating the country’s economic challenges.
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