The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has described the two years that the Tonse Alliance government has been in power as painful to Malawians citing the rising inflation and cost of living as some of the reasons.
In a statement signed by chairperson Gift Trapence, the coalition has decried what they are calling inconsistencies, indecisiveness and slow decision making on the part of President Lazarus Chakwera.
They say government has failed to live up to expectations on matters of job creation and creating a free civic space among other things.
Today marks exactly two years after Malawians voted for Chakwera and team in the court sanctioned fresh presidential election.
Weaknesses by the current government started glaring its ugly face soon after the inauguration which was held at Kamuzu Barracks. The signs were easily picked out right from the cabinet formation and the weak unpragmatic policies that were announced. If HRDC was indeed meant to stand for the poor of the poorest in the village, they should have begun pointing out the flaws there and then. Actuslly, those who started to mention that performance of an office should be gauged after 100 days were not mad. They knew that after that period a performer will have started showing positive indicators. But in our case all we saw was rushing to go for visits to foreign lands instead of hitting the ground running by formulating policies that would outshine their predecessor. That was the time HRDC should have faulted this government, but instead they folded their arms and waited for lucrative appointments like their colleague (Mtambo), who together with them destroyed the infrastructure built with our meagre resources. It therefore doesn’t add up for them today to rise up from their slumber and start pointing out anomalies which have been there since day one in office of their leader. Unfortunately, people in the country have lost all the trust they had for you and they wouldn’t wish to listen to your garbage once more. If it is trying to realign yourselves to future prospects then it is not going to work this time around because Malawians are much wiser now.