People’s Revolution Urges Govt to Cushion Malawians Amid Utility Hikes.

Jani Grey Kasunda, leader of the People’s Revolution movement and 2030 Presidential hopeful, has called on the government to urgently implement social protection frameworks following recent price hikes in fuel, electricity.

 

While acknowledging that the price adjustments were inevitable due to global economic pressures, Kasunda warned that without immediate intervention, the cost of living would become unbearable for the ordinary citizen.

 

“Now coming to this issue of fuel price hike, I think government is justified in doing this. Even if I were the president today, I would do the same,” Kasunda stated. “It was just a matter of time that the prices of both electricity and fuel were to go up. Now the most important thing our government must do now is to make sure that the ordinary person is protected.”

 

Kasunda, who leads a movement advocating for politics that prioritizes public welfare, noted that fuel and electricity are the primary drivers of inflation.

 

He explained that high tariffs lead to a domino effect, increasing production and transport costs for all essential commodities.

 

Kasunda urged the government to provide temporary tax relief on basic necessities to keep market prices stable.

 

“My suggestion is that government should consider removing Value Added Tax (VAT) on essential goods. For example, they can give a period of one year with no VAT on food like maize flour, cooking oil, salt, sugar, beans, and soap,” he suggested.

 

The movement leader recommended an immediate increase in direct financial support for the poorest households.

 

“They can also consider scaling up social cash transfer. If, for example, they were giving people 30 thousand per month, they should increase to 50 or 70 thousand Kwacha per month and then reach out to more people,” Kasunda said.

 

Kasunda added that as an alternative to fuel-dependent travel, government should invest in infrastructure that supports bicycles and walking.

 

“I would also [urge] government to promote non-motorized transport. They can assist our cities and municipalities to create special lanes… they can even go further by removing VAT for bicycles just to make sure that we give our people an alternative to vehicles that use fuel.” Added Kasunda.

 

Recently (MERA) announced Fuel price hike, From K3,499.00 per later, petrol pump price to K4,965.00 up by 41.90 percent while diesel price increased by 41.29 per cent from K3,500.00 per litre to K4,945.00 a litre.

(MERA) has also approved ESCOM’s immediate 12% electricity tariff hike.

 

By Jonathan Mzumazi.