United Democratic Front (UDF) President Atupele Muluzi has questioned the sustainability of the Government to Government arrangement with the United Arab Emirates to stabilize fuel supply in the country.
Muluzi questioned this when reacting to the state of the nation address President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera delivered last night.
“As Atupele Muluzi, I have carefully listened to the President’s speech and acknowledge the efforts highlighted to address Malawi’s pressing crises. While the measures outlined demonstrate a recognition of the challenges we face as a nation, I must emphasize the need for a stronger, more transformative vision that goes beyond managing short-term crises.
“The Government-to-Government arrangement with the United Arab Emirates to stabilize fuel supply is a positive step. Yet, we must ask whether this is a sustainable solution or a temporary fix,” wrote Muluzi.
He added: “The fuel and forex crises are symptoms of deeper structural issues within our economy. Without addressing the root causes—such as economic mismanagement and dependency on external aid instead of a focus on domestic wealth generation – we risk prolonging these hardships for the ordinary Malawian.
“Malawi currently only generates $1bn in foreign exchange per annum when we need over $3bn within the same period to cover imports. We need a strategy to generate foreign exchange to address this deficit.”
Muluzi also went further to ask the Chakwera administration to fully utilize the resource which will be generated on the removal of VAT exemptions on vehicle imports for senior officials.
