By Rabecca Mumba

Center for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has asked President Lazarus Chakwera to cut down on local and international travels in order to reduce government spending amid prevailing economic challenges facing the country.

The call was made on Thursday by the organisation’s Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa at a media briefing in Lilongwe.

According to Namiwa, it is unjustifiable for the President to travel frequently when Malawians are wallowing in poverty due high cost of living.

Namiwa has said this following recent trips by the President around the country inspecting crop fields.

“Government should come up with measures of cushioning the poor. They should stop hiding from the war in Ukraine because the war is just a month old yet, Malawi’s problems are have been here before the war,” said Namiwa.

He added: “Someone who is coming from chairing a meeting of least developed countries can not go into a spending spree of the very limited resources.”

The rights activists also made other demands that include; reducing by 50% salaries of his ministers, vice President and his own, trim his cabinet from 32 to 20 members, chop a list of Presidential Advisors from 22 to 5.

Additionally, the President has been asked to delegate ambassadors to international meeting and where critical, he should be attend meeting virtually until the economy is fixed.