Analyst hails Chilima’s job creation policy as ‘politically sexy’ in 12-point plan for Malawi
University of Malawi political analyst Henry Chingaipe has hailed the job creation policy on Vice-President Saulos Chilima’s 12-point plan which he said he would implement if elected president in next year’s tripartite elections.
Chilima unveiled his 12-point plan on Saturday at Masintha Ground in Lilongwe where he officially launched United Transformation Movement (UTM).
Among others, Chilima pledged to create one million jobs, abolish the quota system of selecting students into public universities, end presidential immunity from prosecution while in office, increase teachers’ salaries and make Parliament the appointing authority of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general and other important positions, in the first year if elected president in the 2019 Tripartite Elections.
Chingaipe said while there was a clear articulation of policy positions on selected issues by the UTM, some of its aims appear unrealistic.
“The creation of one million jobs in the first year is politically sexy, especially for the youth but the broad framework or strategy that he described for this is unlikely to be pulled off within a year,” Chingaipe said.
Economist Henry Kachaje said the creation of one million jobs in Chilima’s first year if elected president will be a tall order though not impossible.
Kachaje said job crration should be one of the deciding factors for the potential leaders wishing to take Malawi out of abject poverty and set it on the sustainable socio-economic path.
He said c reating a million jobs within a year might be a tall order, “especially considering the current macroeconomic environment” but that it is mission possible.
Mzuzu-based political commentator Emily Mkamanga said Chilima spoke what people wanted to hear.
She said: “Creating one million jobs may not be easy. In this country, we have left behind areas such as factories where jobs can be created.”
Governance expert and political commentator Makhumbo Munthali said Chilima is speaking the language of the people.
“ For the first time in recent years, we saw someone tackling issues that really matter to ordinary Malawians head on,” said Munthali.
Laying down a 12-point plan for UTM, Chilima said it is the intention of UTM to have a merit-based civil service.
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It’s very possible to create 1 million jobs, the problem is man people think in generic way and do generic things, he talked about agriculture, it’s a multibillion industry if taken wisely and seriously, construction of universities and otherI infrastructure will creat more jobs in construction industry, tourism and service industry, we need to start doing things we have never done before toI transform thethe country
Malawians will never stop being used as political punch bags. And the whole Masintha clapped hands after this silly statement of 1,000,000 jobs. Makhumbo’s backing of this lie only shows that he is another dunderhead of the year.
It is possible to create one million jobs in Malawi if Chilima can think out of the box. People are already criticizing him before he even explained his road map to the creation of those one million jobs. I believe in the coming months he will explain to the Malawian people how he is going to achieve the one million jobs. I like someone who set the benchmark of what is going to do in his administration once he is elected as a president unlike Peter Hitler Mutharika and his Interhangwe, Mulhako wa Alomwe are preaching on. All they know the best is to oppress other tribes through quota system, nepotism, tribalism, terrorism, and all the “isms” of the world you can think about. Chilima’s plan can fail if his appointment of cabinet ministers become the same people that hap from one bed of a political party to another in the hope they will be rewarded with ministerial positions. These people have failed in the previous administrations and what do you expect them to do different this time? Their thinking has not advanced to respond to the new challenges; they are big losers. Therefore, this could lead to his failure should he recycle failed politicians in the hope something different will turn up. I know some of these politicians, and they are dull but good ass kissers who never give good advice. They are good at cheer leading even when the economy is in the ditch. Look at how they dump other political parties and jumping into Chilima’s bed. I would love to help Chilima achieve those goals, but I hate a Unitary system that has oppressed my Nyika people for decades. For us in Nyikaland the struggle continues until FEDERALISM is achieved. Federalism with rotational presidency among our three regions. ALLUTA CONTINUA NYIKA PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why ladies ladies chiliMA aaaahhh bwinotu bwino
We Malawians allow politicians to fool us. And our media is SO weak – it cannot ask these crucial questions. The idea that Chilima can create 1 million jobs is not only laughable but IMPOSSIBLE. Believe it at your own peril. Again, we have a team of UTM people who are lying to the electorate.
Atupeles promise in 2014 of 500,000 jobs in 5 years at 100,000 jobs a year was more realistic and practical. If SKC gets in government it wont mean all of a sudden interest rates are favorable or investors start coming. We do not have energy capacity to support industrilazation. As a matter of fact, we dont even have 1 million people actively employed in both public and private sector. Even SME’s now havent employed as many people.
So lets be realistic otherwise this is when people start losing faith when after one year there are retrenchments instead of jobs created. Creating a million jobs is possible. In one year thats totally impossible.
Our greatest resource is Agriculture and easiest way to create jobs is to mechanize farming and do value adding locally.
There is no way Chilima can create 1 million jobs even in one year or 10 years. Anyone who believes this should go to mental hospital and have their head checked.
HONORABLE CHILIMA , YOU AND YOUR BOSS HAVE ALREADY FAILED MALAWIANS….. YOU AND YOUR BOSS HAVE FAILED TO FIGHT CORRUPTION.. YOU AND YOUR BOSS HAVE FAILED TO CREATE JOB FOR MALAWIANS…YOU AND YOUR BOSS HAVE FAILED TO SOLVE ELECTRICITY PROBLEMS……..YOU AND YOUR BOSS ARE NOW BUSY FIGHTING BLAME GAME……..PLEASE STOP FOOLING AND INSULTING MALAWIANS…
Creating 1 million jobs in ayear is possible in malawi. First thing first, government should pay private sector their monies in billions .immediately after paying lets say 200 billion kwacha its obvious 300000 or more jobs will be immediately created. Secondly banks interest must still drop so we can be able to borrow with no pressure . Creation of Development bank can help business people to create additional jobs. Infact government will only need to employ 10,000 because private sector including the individual business people will employ over a projected million . Believe me this is very possible. Corruption has suffocated alot of businesses . The construction of rail from karonga to nsanje or blantyre can employ thousands besides other construction activities. Tourism needs immediate support . Lets be positive with our ideas . Its very possible. Dont compare America against us. Its easy to create jobs in a developing country than a developed one .
chicken economic theories..Osangakhale phee bwanji
Malawians, let us start thinking. For a long time, we have parked our brains in wardrobes and basically use our feet to think. What is classified as a job in the USA is different from what we categorize as a job in Malawi. The economic parameters and underpinning fundamentals that drive job in America and other countries are quite different from those in Africa and in particular in Malawi. Creating 1,000,000 jobs within the first 12 months of any serious government is one of the easiest targets it can achieve.
Parents and guardians need to stop thinking that job creation is getting a degree or a Diploma. As a country, we can create a lot of jobs if we critically looked at our individual productive capacity, micro and small enterprises, commercialization of agriculture, usage of appropriate technology, market support and research, at local and sub regional level, business development services, stopping MOTA ENGIL into bringing their own staff and some of the Indians and Pakistanis that just bring the entire families for jobs that Malawians can bring, better usage of land, generating more machine operators,. making parastatals more profitable and increase the low knowledge intensive service activities can end up employing more workers that our country does todate.
Even Bwana Kachaje who is quoted in the article above-his remarks are disparaging. It just dawned on me that he still has to re-read his bible. The lady who had too much debt in the Bible was asked one simple question-WHAT DO YOU HAVE? This is the question as a country we should all be asking ourselves, WHAT DO WE HAVE THAT CREATE JOBS? NOT THE ONES THAT REQUIRE US TO GO TO CHAYAMBA OR CAPITAL HILL.
Kkkkkk Malawi, tiyeni nazo, ine yanga vote ili mu mtima.
Let’s be honest with ourselves here. Creating 1 million jobs in the first year of adminstration is not only unrealistic but playing with people’s emotions. The largest economy in earth, the US, creates on average 300,000 jobs a month. This is an economy thousands of times the size of our ever sickly economy and they have all the productive infrastructure to propel the supply chain. How on earth would an economy with virtually nothing interms of job creation support infrastructure create 85,ooo jobs a month? This is beyond dreaming in colour but political myopia.
I agree with you. Statistics are there for people to see. between 2010 -2015 the UK created about 2 million jobs and this was way beyond what the EU was able to create which was about 1.8 million. It is easy to pluck figures from the sky and use them to excite the audience.
Economic vibrancy and employment will become sexy again. Of course 1 million jobs can be achieved inside one year. That’s the power of dreaming and visualisation…….if your dream and vision is mediocre then how can we propel ourselves to achieve the “impossible”. A dream should keep one wide awake at night. If we all rally behind the dream then anything is possible in as long as we all know what’s in for all of us. Get the private sector especially commercial banks to support small-scale business by extending loans (to those that have demonstrated entrepreneurship) and mentor them to succeed and not pay a lip service like the current financial institutions are doing. Building and supporting small-scale businesses has the ability to take the unemployed youths from the streets within a year. This would be a sustainable approach to building a middle class Malawi. Handouts and employing more youths in the civil service won’t cut it and is unsustainable.
This is Chilima himself or one of his buddies responding to the question that has not been asked. The English is well polished which reveals who the writer is.
I AGREE 100% THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO CREATE 1 MILLION JOBS IF YOU ACT OUTSIDE THE BOX. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THOSE COMMENTING THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE HAVE ALREADY MADE UP THEIR MIND AND THEY WILL NEVER TRY TO. THEY HAVE ALREADY FAILED BECOZ THEY WILL NEVER TRY. WE AND SKC WILL ACHIEVE THE DREAM.