The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has described President Lazarus Chakwera as someone who knows nothing and does nothing.
The description follows Chakwera’s remarks at the just ended conference on Separation of Powers where he said that he is not responsible for running the affairs of this country.
In a statement, DPP Spokesperson Shadric Namalomba said the statement vindicated the party’s stand that this nation is on autopilot.
“The DPP wonders that if the President is not responsible, then who is? The DPP has always maintained that this country is on auto-pilot. There is nobody in charge. That is why everything is going wrong, and the Chakwera administration does not seem to care.
“If President Chakwera understood the duties placed upon his shoulders by the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, he would have understood that the buck stops at his doorstep.
“For clarity of the constitution, the President is the Head of State comprising of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. The President provides executive leadership by among other tasks appointing a cabinet to manage government ministries and state companies, appointing secretary to the president to supervise the civil service, appointing the Inspector General of Police and Army Commander of the Defense Forces, and the Head of the Judiciary, the Chief Justice and appointing heads of institutions such as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, the Commissioner General of Malawi Revenue Authority, the Chairperson of Malawi Electoral Commission etc.
“Although he does not appoint the Speaker of Parliament, he exercises significant influence over the Legislature by approving meetings of the assembly as well as assenting to bills passed by same house.
“A president is responsible for ensuring that there is separation of Powers in this country, and that each of the separate branches of state are discharging their functions in the manner expected of them.
“Malawians are asking. If Chakwera is not responsible, why did he present himself for election as President? We have countless examples of bizarre things happening in this country for which nobody seems to be in control. East Bridge fertilizer, rampant corruption, price escalation, runaway inflation, forex scarcity, food insecurity, etc. All these require a person at the top to be concerned, to take control, and to find solutions.
“Malawians were sold a dummy. When you listen to Chakwera’s utterances and promises before election, he said he would change everything and that if he does not change anything in two years, he will resign! Now he says it is not his job to change anything let alone everything. He is a failed man. A dismal failure, Chakwera knows that he must resign now for causing untold sufferings to Malawians. In fact he ought to have resigned in 2021, when a year had elapsed without him doing anything to improve things in this country,” he said
Namalomba further said the statement shows that Chakwera has abdicated his duties and that Malawians are on their own.
He then called on the President to resign, failing which he urged Malawians to register massively to vote him out of government in 2025.
