The 2018/2019 budget presented Friday afternoon has received mixed reactions from different stakeholders in the country.

Representing the donor community, EU Ambassador to Malawi Marchel German said the budget is brilliant and an indication that the country in on the right track to economic recovery.

Germann highlighted the allocation towards the 2019 elections, K33.5bn, which government intends to fund alone, as impressive.

However, the EU Ambassador says much work needs to be done by the government to turn rhetoric into action – with much expectation on how the budget will be linked to the statements made by President Peter Mutharika in the State of the Nation Address and the SGDs.

In a nutshell, he spoke against the corruption asking for more transparency and accountability.

 “What is important is that Malawi has a very important environment for macroeconomic stability and the minister has made it clear that he will continue with the policy on that; also on the fact that the Minister plans to fund the elections alone. On that as EU we fully support it.

“Let’s wait and see. Improvements have been made in the past year, but more needs to be done in the procurement sector and transparency to end corruption in the country. It’s important that fiscal discipline is maintained, from the EU point of view; we will continue to support Malawi,” he said.

On the other hand, leader of opposition Dr. Lazarus Chakwera thinks a whole budget is a campaign tool and hypocritical as the statements made are simply failed projects in the past years.

 “One would tell from the way the Minister was presenting the statement that they are not clear about what they want to achieve. It’s a campaign tool. It’s a tool that they believe Malawians will buy into by trying to do what they failed to do in four years. It’s not going to work.  

“One other hand they are saying they have earned the confidence of the international community and yet on the other, the same donor community does not want to support them. The financial statement was not even ready,” said Dr. Chakwera.

CEO for Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry chief executive Chancellor Kaferapanjira thinks the whole presentation was empty, saying it gives no hope for an improved private sector which is crucial to a countries economic development.

“As somebody representing the private sector, this is the emptiest budget that the minister has made since he became Minister of Finance. There is literally nothing in our view that he has announced. We thought he would touch on the challenges the sector is facing now. Electricity is a big challenge and the Minister says we should bear with the problem until 2021. I think this is a joke,” he added.

Adding his voice, Malawi Health Equity Network Executive Director George Jobe wonders how the government could allocate more money to the local government, which has seen an increase in the chiefs’ honorarium, while the health sector gets the reduced budget.

“Much as we don’t have all details of the budget, we have noted a decrease in the allocation from 2017 estimated 126 billion to K86.7 billion. Why the reduction? Is it that the money has gone local government? We have mixed feelings until we see the whole document as there is a lot we are expecting. ”

In the next two weeks, parliament goes into clusters for budget consultations between MPs and representatives of different government ministries, departments, and institutions.