Chakwera in US for political tour, says Malawi economy hasn’t been good
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president, Lazarus Chakwera, who is also leader of opposition in parliament. Is on a political tour of duty in United States.
Chakwera has been visiting Mississippi where a local paper The Clarion Ledger reported his visit and described him as the “ expected next president of the southe astern African country.”
The report in The Clarion Ledger said Chakwera is in Mississippi visiting friends, including Bishop Ronnie Crudup, pastor of New Horizon Church International in Jackson.
The Malawi opposition leader was introduced in the state Senate on Thursday.
“When I’m in Mississippi, I’m home,” Chakwera said as quoted.
“We are an agricultural-based economy, almost like Mississippi,” Chakwera said. “We would love to have trade that whatever Malawi produces we could have a market here (Mississippi and the United States as a whole) and the same. We aren’t looking for the United States to save us, but rather be partners in the global village.”
Malawi is landlocked, which makes it harder to import and export items, Chakwera said.
Chakwera said Malawi ecconomy “hasn’t been good” adding that “close to 3 million people are seriously without enough food. “
The MCP president pointed out that one of the biggest problems in terms of government issues relates to “the cancer of corruption. “
He said: “And sometime because of corruption, services have broken down. We are working to see how we can resuscitate the economy so that the private sector, which is the engine of the economy, will really do something to make Malawi a productive economy instead of a consumption economy.”
“We need a people who will believe in themselves and who will say no to a culture of entitlements and say we can do something,” Chakwera said.
The Malawi Congress Party, which fought for independence from British rule, is trying to take charge to make a better future for Malawi’s people, he said.
Bishop Crudup said Chakwera is a dynamic leader. He said Chakwera is doing a political tour of the U.S. and decided to come to Mississippi because of the support he has gotten from the people of this state in the past.
According to the report, Chakwera will be in Mississippi until Sunday before leaving for Washington for the National Prayer Breakfast, which is Tuesday.
Chakwera obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Malawi, a masters’ degree in theology from the University of South Africa, and a doctorate in theology ministry from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois.
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