Stop the blame game: Kabambe tells government and opposition to put Malawi first

UTM president Dalitso Kabambe has called for a model of governance that embraces diverse political ideologies for the good of the nation, saying Malawi's challenges are not for the ruling party alone to solve.

In a post on his Facebook page, Dr Kabambe said Malawi belongs to everyone, regardless of political affiliation.

He made the declaration amid one of the worst fuel and forex shortages the country has seen, as well as severe power outages and a shortage of medicines in public hospitals.

"Our national debt has now climbed into the trillions," he said. "These are not talking points to be celebrated or weapons to use against one another."

He said the situation can change if the nation chooses different politics, particularly politics rooted in responsibility, compassion and a shared purpose.

"Let us stop asking which party will benefit from the country's pain and start asking how we can end it," he said. "For, this country does not belong only to those in power. It belongs to all of us."

Kabambe, an economist and former Reserve Bank of Malawi governor, faulted politics of hate and opportunism, whose beneficiaries, he said, have chiefly been politicians at the expense of the wider population.

He cautioned government to serve with a sense of solemn responsibility towards bettering the lives of the people it governs. He also urged the opposition to assist responsibly.

"Being in opposition must not be a licence to wish the country harm," he said. "The people in power may be our political opponents, but the country is not theirs alone, and its problems do not stop at party lines."