Chilima enlighten critics on reforms progress: 8mil Malawi IDs by 2018

Malawi Vice-President Saulos Chilima has said  given an eye opener to the progress of Public Sector Reforms Commission which he is chairing, saying said ever since the reform programme was launched in February 2015, there has been meaningful progress.

President Mutharika and vice president Chilima at the ceremony
President Mutharika and vice president Chilima at the ceremony

“Often times people are blinded into negativity,” said Chilima on Tuesday at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe when fore ministries signed the performance contracts with President Peter Mutharika accepting to implement public reforms that the government is current advocating.

Chilima said among the notable achievements were the decentralisation of teachers’ salaries which has eased problems of delayed payments for teachers, establishment of passport printing centres in all the regions of the country and a modern and computerised system at the road traffic.

“Some people think reforms are not happening or will not happen. We are saying no, reforms are happening and will continue to happen,” said Chilima.

“I would like to assure Malawians that [these reforms] are here to stay. This is not a rehearsal, they are for real and they will be done,” Chilima stressed.

The Vice President said reforms are “processes that take time”.

He also revealed that the commission will in May this year start the national identification programme.

“We will soon start the national identification programme and we want every Malawian to be registered by the year 2018,” he explained.

University of Malawi political science professor Ernest Thindwa told ‘Daybreak Malawi’ program on Capital Radio on Wednesday said the reforms should move from talkshop into producing results..

“ Talking has not translated into tangiable results,” said Thindwa.

“The challenge is to translate talk into action,” he added.

But Chilima explained that since Mutharika launched the reforms programme, a lot of activities are taking shape, especially those involving ministries that signed performance contracts.

Through organisational performance agreements (OPAs), ministries will champion and demonstrate that it is possible to work on targets and implement on their promises on the agreed dateline.

Chilima also disclosed that about eight million Malawians will have national identity documents (IDs) by 2018 once cogernment rolls out the pilot 5,000 IDs in May this year.

“In May 2016, we will launch teh first 5,000 ID cards then 8.4 million IDs will be issued, for free, to Malawians by June 2018,” Chilima disclosed.

The IDs project is being handled by National Registration Bureau.

American Ambassador to Malawi, Virginia Palmer commended the Malawi Government for implementing the reforms that will see the change in the way the country conducts its business.

She assured of her country’s total support to Malawi in carrying out the exercise.

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Tan'gatan'ga
Tan'gatan'ga
8 years ago

ID’s will just fuel tribalism. Do we need to be identified by our tribes. This is retrogressive.

J.J.J.Sonke
J.J.J.Sonke
8 years ago

Public sector reforms? My foot!
Does a decentralised teacher payment system solve anything? Do we have the capacity to do this or will it just enhance the opportunities for corruption?
More passport printing centres? Great! Bu does it help our economy and give the donors more confidence in our fight against corruption?
Computerised road traffic system? What a disaster! it costed us billions on lost working time and only benefited the organisation supplying the junk.
ID’s Hurray, I am sure that will help our economy and bring back donors.
What a mess.

Almost Pano
Almost Pano
8 years ago

Chilima, can you be honest with your words? Is it true that you are making progress in your so called reform programme or you are retrogressing? You told the Present and the malawi nation that teachers are now getting their salaries on time- what a shame young man? My wife retired some years ago and she used to get her pension on the 14th of each month, but as I am writing this message, she still has not been paid, so what kind of progress are you talking about? This is madness.

Tintinho Gwadula
Tintinho Gwadula
8 years ago

Malawians are not waiting for this animal called reforms. Its just a waste of time which civil servants can derail it for their personal interests! We need a decisive leader which both the two do not have any such qualities. We want someone who can stop the nonsense taking the public sector of abusing resources.

Kenkkk
Kenkkk
8 years ago

What about the diaspora Malawians? How will they be registered. At the malawi embassies abroad?

chiwa kogoya
chiwa kogoya
8 years ago

Bwana Chilima padakali pano anthufe tikufuna chakudya komanso ecomony yathu iyambepo kuyenda bwino! za ma Ids zo later ok. anthu fe musamatitengele kundodo ngati maliro anjoka mwamva!

OBSERVER
OBSERVER
8 years ago

IDS IS A GOOD DEVELOPMENT- LET IT BE DONE PLS- EVERYTHING MUST BE TIED TO ID- GOOD DEVELOPMENT- PLEASE PROCEED FAST- LETS START WHEREEVE THERE WILL BE BY ELECTIONS- PEOPLE IN THAT AREA SHOULD REGISTER AND GET IDS

therere
therere
8 years ago

good development VP i think we will have credible elections in 2019 once we have ID’s, and it will be easy to identify people who will be seeking treatment in our boarder districts like Chitipa, Mchinji,Mulanje, Nsanje, Mwanza and Chikwawa

Chilema
Chilema
8 years ago

Nde Chilima ukuti chani kodi? Umati admarc idapanga reform. Kapena reform yake ndi kusowa kwa chimangaku? Ma gadi kumenya anthu. Kodi iwe umasuta chamba eti? Tiye nazo tikuwonela

Phwado
Phwado
8 years ago

Apart from teacher’s salaries,what else?Chilima has just turned into a spectator honestly!Bullshit!

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