Chakwera warns of hard times ahead before things can get better
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has warned that the road ahead is long, winding and bumpy before arriving to the promised paradisal, smooth and comfortable destination.
“We must not imagine that it is possible to make these corrections without pain,” Chakwera cautioned.
The Malawi leader made the remarks Tuesday in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe during a Press briefing on his foreign trip to Kenya, United Arab Emirates and Scotland, United Kingdom.
Chakwera, who in his inaugural address on Independence Day last year promised Malawians that he would devote his time and energy in office making corrections to the multiple systemic problems that had ruined the country’s economy, taxes, infrastructure, nationhood, resolve, institutions, the public services, said there is need to make serious sacrifices in order to nurse Malawi’s failing economy back to health.
Said Chakwera: “We must accept that the national bones we have dislocated cannot be corrected without suffering – we must have the courage to face and endure the pain of systemic surgery if we ever want to enjoy wholeness as a nation.
“That season of national surgery is now upon us, for on top of the crippling debt that the previous administration left for all of us to pay off, we have the task of raising money for financing the gradual restoration of the public service; for financing our adaptation to the forces of climate change.”
He added: “For financing the construction of desperately needed infrastructural projects; for financing our agricultural industrialization; and for financing the recovery of the private sector from the ravages of Covid-19 pandemic.”
President Chakwera emphasised that the cost of doing these things is heavy, and that there is no household in Malawi that is not bearing some of that weight.
“This is the painful truth. I must tell you the way things are and not feed you lies. We already know from the previous visit by the IMF that the previous Administration was even lying about the state of forex, inflation, and debt in this country.
“That legacy of lies is over, and we are now in a season of confronting the truth head on – and the truth is that if ever we needed courage to endure the pain of sowing in tears – it is now,” stated Chakwera.
Chakwera said Malawi is a nation in critical condition and suffering multiple organ failure, and that the battery of treatments to be administered would be a bitter pill for every Malawian to swallow.
He said that now more than ever, Malawians need the courage to pay for the sacrifices the country needs in order to be assured of a future harvest.
“The sacrifices you are all paying is the fertilizer that the soil of our economy needs, and the investments and trade that this Administration is working hard to bring into our economy are the seed we are sowing for a future harvest.
“That is what the trade deals we secured in Kenya are about. That is what the trade deal we have sealed with South Sudan is about. That is what my discussions with various investors in Dubai were about.
“That is what my appeal for Climate financing in Scotland was about and even the trade expo that I will soon be attending in South Africa at the invitation of President,” said Chakwera.
The president said his administration will leave no stone unturned in bringing trade and investment into Malawi’s economy so that the sacrifices the citizens are making will one day soon pay dividends.
“I am, therefore, grateful for the patience and patriotism with which you are all undertaking in playing your part to see this difficult task done,” said Chakwera.
During his 12 day foreign trip, President Chakwera met various global leaders, business moguls and investors and wooed them into investing into the South-East nation through trade and industry.
In an interview President Chakwera’s Press Secretary, Anthony Kasunda said: “The president used the trip as springboard to woo global investors, top notch business moguls and international traders to discuss opportunities for Malawi.”
The President, during the visit, signed bilateral trade agreements with the East African powerhouse, Kenya before proceeding to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where he attended the Fifth Global Sustainable Technology and Innovation Community from 24th to 27th October in Dubai and later travelled to Glasgow in Scotland for the UN sanctioned Conference of Parties (CoP).
In Glasgow, President Chakwera will joined world leaders including UK’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson to attend the high-level segment of the 26th Session of the Conference of Parties (CoP 26).
While in Scotland, President Chakwera, apart from holding bilateral talks with Johnson, he also met the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon whom he discussed among other things, continued and strengthen relationship between the two countries and the support Scotland gives to Malawi.
Chakwera spoke tough at the CoP26 bluntly telling world leaders from the rich and powerful nations to immediately fix the world and that they should commit to helping developing and least developed countries like Malawi because it them who pollute the earth and let the world’s poor to bear the consequences.
President Chakwera also urged rich and powerful countries to stop making broken promises and unfulfilled pledges but to act swiftly to ensure that the earth is repaired from the damage.
In response to President Chakwera’s remarks at the CoP26, Britain has agreed to give £1billion (approximately K110 trillion) to the developing and Least Developed Countries to help in climate change mitigation.
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