The Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) has urged political leaders to stop internal party squabbles and focus on addressing the economic hardship affecting millions of Malawians.
In a press release on Thursday, CAMA Executive Director John Kapito said the association is deeply concerned that at a time when citizens are facing one of the worst economic crises, most leaders are preoccupied with infighting for party positions instead of finding solutions to end poverty.
Kapito noted that Malawians are currently grappling with punitive taxes, lack of access to healthcare, high cost of living, unemployment, closure of businesses, and low foreign direct investment.
The association said the current political fights within parties are distracting leadership from solving these challenges.
“We have noted with disappointment that while the new administration is aware of the many challenges facing Malawians, our leaders are busy fighting each other for positions within their political parties instead of finding solutions for the many poor and struggling Malawians,” he said.
The consumer watchdog warned that escalating party fights send a negative signal to potential investors and further worsen the country’s economic situation.
According to the association, the economy demands solutions now from a united leadership.
CAMA reminded the current administration that Malawi has witnessed similar internal fights in the past, particularly among parties in government, and citizens paid the price.
The organization argued that when leadership is preoccupied with personal party differences, Malawians continue to experience poverty, suffering, and hunger.
“When leaders choose positions over people, it is always the poor who suffer. We are repeating the same mistakes and inflicting the same suffering on Malawians despite promising that our ultimate goal is to end poverty. The past should be a lesson, not a cycle we continue to repeat,” said Kapito.
CAMA has demanded six immediate actions from government, including a shift in priorities from party politics to people’s welfare, reviewing punitive taxes to stop burdening the poor, delivering on basics such as food security, affordable electricity, water and job creation, and producing quarterly public reports on poverty reduction decisions and their implementation.
The association concluded that leadership is about service, not titles, and Malawians deserve leaders who fight poverty, not each other.
