Date Of Article: 3/19/2003
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Govt, companies must collaborate
By: Francis Tayanjah-Phiri
Northern Region business captains say Malawi’s ailing economy can only be brought back on track if government and the private sector bury suspicion between them and together scrutinise the root cause of the problem. “The onus of addressing this worrisome economy lies with the business community and government banging heads together to find ways of rectifying our economy, currently in problems,” said Northern Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NRCCI) chair Harrison Kaluwa on Tuesday. Kaluwa, who was presiding over the chamber’s annual general meeting, said members of the business community must ask themselves what, as individuals and chamber members, they had done to assist to address the economical woes of the country. He said: “As a chamber we have to lobby government on how we can go into smart partnership and it is time the two parties avoided being confrontational. It is time we and government sat down in good faith and map out a better economy for our nation.” Kaluwa’s sentiments came amid concerns that poor government economic policies were drastically contributing to frail industries and commerce in the country. The chamber’s members submitted during their AGM that issues like high taxation, misconceptions and fallacies in effecting surtax and poor fiscal discipline within government administration, highly contributed to the tough times the economy was going through. Kaluwa, sympathising with the concerns of the chamber members, said the task of saving the Malawi currency was in the hands of all Malawians and stressed that government needed to take on board advice by the business captains. The AGM also resolved to lobby government to put in flexible conditions that would assist in increasing the manufacturing and production potential in the country. Said Kaluwa: “We need to go full throttle in the manufacturing business as opposed to intensifying importation of goods. If we, as a nation, continue tolerating our nation to be a dumping ground of foreign goods, we risk worsening our economy and further diffusing the power of our currency.”
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