Speaking during a media briefing in Lilongwe on Monday, CfSC Executive Director Father Dr. James Ngahy said they want forthcoming the budget to be true and realistic for the citizens of Malawi, most of whom are living in absolute poverty.
He said it is their deeply felt desire to have a budget that can raise the standard of living of the citizens of Malawi.
“it is our hope that this budget will address the social and economic challenges we are facing such as high cost of living, food insecurity, limited access to essential services, including water and sanitation, that is hindering the fight against cholera, just to mention a few. And this budget should be of the progressive vision and not simply of the business as usual,” he demanded.
He added, “The standards of living of Malawians should not continue to be the same as it was in the last financial budget, we need to see a difference and we need to learn from the past and we must forward not backward.”
He also proposed that the National Budget must be designed to set Malawi on the trajectory towards the achievement of the nation’s aspirations towards 2063, and must accelerate implementation towards wealth creation, job creation, and food security.
Father Ngahy said with increased corruption, Malawi remains one of the poorest countries and all sectors of the economy suffer from widespread corruption.
He, therefore, challenged MPs to ensure they empower citizens to demand for transparency and accountability in line with the revised public finance management act saying transparency and accountability must be promoted from the office of the President to government officials on how is being spent on external trips.
CfSC is a faith-based organization founded in 2022 with the aim of promoting research and action on social issues linking Christian faith and social justice and transforming the unjust structure in Malawian Society through research and advocacy to ensure a sustained change in policies for the betterment of all in line with their human dignity.