Journalist-turned legislator Bango delivers hard hitting maiden speech in Parliament

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Member of Parliament for Kasungu North, Mike Bango, made his maiden speech in the august House on Friday in which he took a swipe at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for neglecting Kasunda District.

“Madam Speaker, the people of Kasungu North, those from Senior Chief Kaluluma, T/A Chisemphere, STA Kalikokha and Chisikwa demand that they be treated equally as Malawians,” Bango said. “They demand the same development activities that are taking place in the Southern Region, for they too are not lesser Malawians.

“My constituents have been taken for granted for the past 15 years, even at times when they had their own son as a Minister in the DPP government.

“The DPP government has never cared to keep its own promises to the people of Snr Chief Kaluluma have promised them construction of dams, drilling of boreholes, loans to women and the youth.

“Being an agricultural area there is no much support from government (the hard-working people of Lodjwa, Kachinda, Mthabama, Kanjazi and Chimbiranjala get little benefits after the season as no tangible markets are available and ADMARC is a now a shadow of itself.

“Sometimes ADMARC only becomes active when it has to coordinate the bad news of the DPP regime where in a village of 120 poor families, only 6 would be selected to benefit from the farm input subsidyprogram.

“Madam Speaker, I am not being partisan when I speak of the worrisome trend in my constituency where in this era, women still have to draw water from rivers. What is a caring government if it allows her people to be subjected to such inhumane conditions?

“What is wise and dynamic leadership if one selfishly enriches himself and those around him, when the people whom he is supposed to serve must wake in the early hours of the morning and walk frighteningly long distances to fetch water?

“It is surprising, Madam Speaker, that the illegitimate DPP government finds pleasure in corruption and is so blinded to see the suffering of the people. Kasungu North has young men and women, born in the 90s who have never seen any machine drilling boreholes yet some claim they have transformed Malawi and will take it to the levels of Europe.

“I am sure, Madam Speaker, these people mean transforming their homes, those of their tribesmen, those of their close allies and this can only be done through illegal means.”

The youthful legislator continued to attack the DPP-led government, describing is a illegal, saying it has touted its apparent care for the youth but it can’t explain how millions, including thousands from his constituency remain idle.

“The youths of Kasungu North are worried that government leaders continue to loot and steal from the poor and have failed to eradicate the social ills in the country. We, the youth of Kasungu North are concerned that the DPP self-imposedgovernment is self serving, suppressive and incapable of self correction.

“Essentially we find ourselves with a government that has failed to improve the lives of millions of young people in the country including my constituency.”

He also made note that for the first time Malawi Parliament has a good number of youth parliamentarians, who have made it after a tough battle that was engaged against the old guards.

“Special recognition should also go to the youngest parliamentarian Fynes Mwagonjwa for her achievements. Kasungu North thought it was sending a youngest MP but it has turned to be otherwise. They congratulate you Hon. Mwagonjwa,” he said.

“People of Kasungu North voted for an MCP MP, MCP Councillor and MCP President so they could have servant leadership. For once, they see their leader’s commitment to respecting the rule of law, so they could for once, prosper and most of all that their leaders would put an end to corruption.

“Madam Speaker, It is disheartening that the tears of poor women in my constituency are refusing to dry up. Their cry: Government only sees women empowerment when a woman rises to be a CEO, manager or minister.

“What will be of a woman who dropped out of school in Standard 8 and got married and stays in a rural area later started a tomato business or a village bakery at Kavukula, Nkhakama, Kanyata and Chipata in my constituency? Does this self-imposed DPP regime have a definition for women empowerment for that woman?”

He also bemoaned the state of Chimaliro Forest, which is been heavily deforested but it’s not the people of his constituency who are the culprits.

“I am reliably informed by chiefs that most of the people behind the depletion of the forest are from as far as Mulanje and Thyolo, who lost their jobs in tobacco estates in Mzimba and they have found charcoal business as alternative.

“My constituents are very accommodating and have coexisted with fellow Malawians from elsewhere. They are also willing to share the economic benefits that government may provide. But they are worried that the people that they have allowed to settle amongst them, are also the ones depleting the natural forest. And the government does not seem to be concerned at all.

“I will be failing in my duties if I don’t echo people’s displeasure with the DPP government as it has failed to develop Nkhamenya trading centre, which is the hub for business for a number of areas from outside my constituency [such as] Mabulabo Luwerezi as well as Kanjuchi in Mzimba, people of Chisinga in Kasungu West and beyond our boarders in Zambia.

“Despite the centre having facilities such as Nkhamenya Mission hospital, the girls secondary school, Catholic Mission, Kaluluma CDSS and rural hospital, Nkhamenya police with over 30 officers, NGOs and vibrant business people, it’s sad that these people travel over 80 kilometres to access banking services.

“How can the economy of the country improve with this situation. Kasungu North Constituency deserves better and now that we have an MCP MP, MCP councilors and soon an MCP President, I wish to assure my constituents that things will change.

“The temporary ministers that are currently serving this illegitimate DPP government should know that soon their time will be over, for my constituency and all Malawians are tired of the corrupt, self-serving and the non-performing regime of the DPP.

“Soon the MCP President, Honourable Lazarus Chakwera will save this country from the pangs of poverty inflicted upon it by the self-imposed DPP regime.”

In conclusion, Bango gave special gratitude to the sports fraternity  for their support as well as hid family, former workmates at Zodiak Broadcasting Station, Church and Mosque leaders, Sports personalities in Cabinet,  Jappie Mhango and Vuwa Kaunda.

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