* When hospitals lack medicine, schools lack desks, and government can barely pay civil servants on time
* This is another empty promise — Chakwera’s new manifesto is just more rhetoric to hoodwink Malawians
* He must first explain what happened to the grand promises he made in 2020 when he promised he would create 1 million jobs within his administration’s first year
By Duncan Mlanjira
Canada-based economic analyst, Dr. James Kadyampakeni implores on Malawians to be wary “of sweet-sounding promises that vanish the moment elections are won” — in his reaction to the Malawi Congress Party (MCP’s) 2025 presidential election campaign manifesto that promises to create a ‘future account’ in which the government will deposit K500,000 for every newborn child as a measure aimed at ending generational poverty.
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“The MCP’s manifesto, pledging to introduce ‘future accounts’ for every newborn and to create 3 million jobs, is nothing more than recycled [pledges] designed to mislead and manipulate a desperate population,” contends Kadyampakeni.
“Before Malawians can even begin to take President Lazarus Chakwera seriously, he must first explain what happened to the grand promises he made in 2020 when he told us he would create 1 million jobs within his first year of administration.
“What did we get instead? — unemployment has worsened; youths are still roaming the streets without work, or forced into exploitative and informal gigs that offer no security or dignity.”
He observed that the manifesto — that was unveiled yesterday in grand style at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe — does not even explain how Chakwera’s administration, if given another mandate, “is going to create those jobs”.
Dr. Kadyampakeni
Kadyampakeni further gives the example that for the 2020 fresh elections, Chakwera pledged that “he would end nepotism, corruption and cronyism — but what happened? — state institutions have been captured by party loyalists and opportunists,” he said.
On corruption, Kadyampakeni contends that the vice has “squeezed the poor even harder by rising costs and collapsing services. Now, just months before another election, the same man wants us to believe he will create 3 million jobs and give every newborn child K500,000 in a ‘future account’?
“Where is this money coming from when hospitals lack medicine, schools lack desks, and government can barely pay civil servants on time? Our country’s infrastructure is very poor — coupled with the never-ending black-outs with no hope in sight!
“Malawians shouldn’t be taken as fools. This is not leadership — it is manipulation. This new manifesto is not a plan, it is a smokescreen — a desperate attempt to cling to power by telling people what they would want to hear, without any credible explanation for the betrayals of the past five years.
“If President Chakwera wants to be trusted again, he must first come clean about the failed promises of 2020,” he said, while encouraging the media that if accorded the platform for a debate with the MCP leader on the manifesto, “he should face some tough questions”.
“Otherwise, Malawians must see this for what it truly is — a con game, and a dangerous one at that.”
However, Chakwera explained that some initiatives that were pledged to be developed ahead of the 2020 fresh elections — including the 1 million jobs — stalled due to global and domestic challenges, but he emphasised that progress had still been made in critical areas like infrastructure, health, and housing.
“Despite the storms we’ve faced, including CoVID-19, global economic shocks, Cyclone Ana & Freddy, cholera outbreak — and the Chikangawa tragedy that claimed the life of Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima, we have laid a solid foundation. With your trust, we will finish the job,” he said.
Chakwera pledges to govern with transparency, vision, and results if re-elected, adding that the five core pillars in the manifesto — food security; job & wealth creation; governance; reform; and rebooting the public service delivery strategic pillars — are designed to drive the realisation of the MW2063 national vision; the long-term national development strategy aimed at transforming Malawi into a wealthy and self-reliant nation.
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He thus pledges to create the 3 million job, particularly targeting the youth — whom he described as “the engine of national progress” and under wealth creation, the President launched the Ten-Ten Makwacha Youth Challenge to provide startup capital to young entrepreneurs.
“We are equipping our youth to become employers, innovators, and drivers of inclusive growth,” said Chakwera in his address.
Meanwhile, when Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) was officially launching the campaign period, chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja encouraged the youths “to attend campaign events; to listen to the policies being presented and to participate constructively by asking questions.
“Elections are more than just a contest for power — they are a celebration of democratic values, and young people must be at the centre of this process,” she emphasised.
“The youth should take time to compare manifestos and make informed decisions on who to vote for. Malawi needs young voters who think critically and vote consciously.
“They must be encouraged to act not just as voters, but also as peacebuilders, civic educators, and informed participants in political discourse. During this campaign period, youth have the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership by promoting tolerance, rejecting violence, and encouraging others to engage in respectful and meaningful debate.”
Justice Mtalimanja also “strongly” appealed “to all political parties and candidates to desist from using the youth as tools for chaos — instead, they should be empowered and meaningfully included in campaign structures — not to throw stones or provoke conflict, but to contribute ideas, engage communities, and inspire participation”.
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“In addition to their role as voters, the youth also have a responsibility in how they use digital platforms. With increased access to mobile phones and the internet, many young people are highly active online.
“Social media can be a powerful space for civic dialogue and voter education, but it can also become a breeding ground for misinformation, propaganda, and hate speech.”
She encouraged the youths to use digital platforms with prudence, emphasising that “before sharing information, they should verify it [and] if they come across misleading content or inflammatory material, they should refrain from amplifying it and must report it for flagging to the platform administrators or relevant law enforcement authorities”.
“Social media should be a space for promoting constructive political ideas, peace and civic awareness, not fear and division,” she said, while also encourages the young minds to take advantage of opportunities to serve as election observers or volunteers in civic and voter education activities.
“By doing so, they contribute to the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.”
