Chilima first 100 days in office as Malawi veep: Energetic, professional, focused but controversial  

It is not easy to quantify the value Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC) has brought back to the Office of the Vice-President especially when the predecessor is Mr Everton Chimulirenji.

SKC: With Cabinet bag going into Cabinet meeting
Chilima:  With heads of Malawi army and police

 

Chilima taking an oath of office as Malawi vice president
Chilima:  Values time
Vice President Chilima and his wife Mary
Vice President Saulos Chilima arrives at Parliament-pic by Lisa Kadango
Chilima with heads of Malawi Defence Force and Malawi Police

Meek, unsophisticated, loyal and to the book, Chimulirenji’s short stint as veep was defined by attending funerals, cheering the unfortunate, gracing graduation ceremonies of backstreet colleges and, of course, being visibly present wherever the president goes.

With Chimulirenji, the Office of the Vice President was narrowed to a mere department of social welfare under the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.

To mean, anyone succeeding Chimulirenji had a grand opportunity of looking sharper and that is where the problem starts when analyzing 100 days of Chilima.

In ideal setting, you need a vice president who is smart, calm, visionary and stable because, God forbid, they are a president in waiting.

Against his flaws, Chilima isn’t a person you would doubt for the office of the vice-president, even the presidency. He is educated, experienced and, above all, he has a knack to connect easily and inspire.

Even when President Lazarus Chakwera announced him to be responsible for Economic Planning and Public Sector Reforms, there was a considerable level of shared confidence among different sectors of the public.

Of course, we haven’t heard much from Chilima on the Economic Planning front apart from the mention that was instrumental in designing the 2020/21 budget especially in balancing expectations and economic situation on the ground.

However, it’s on Public Sector Reforms where, in 100 days, we have seen Chilima being focused, energetic and professional, but at the same time exhibiting noticeable traits of his controversy.

He has been focused because he hasn’t, in 100 days, committed to anything else apart from reviving the public sector through rigorous stakeholder engagements with all the ministries and, of course, parastatals.

In these engagements, Chilima had a clear agenda of ensuring that ministries and government companies are efficient and productive.

So committed to the agenda he was that if you are Malawi Institute of Management (MIM) and you come unprepared, you had to face his worse and suffer public exposure and ridicule.

Besides being focused and, also energetic, Chilima also showed high level professionalism in the way he has been handling his public sector reforms work.

Malawi’s public sector has, for years, being defined by laissez-faire attitude to doing things. Chilima has shocked many to be a man who, by 7:30 am, is already in office and during meeting and engagements he is always in time. This, one can argue, is a quest by Chilima to instill the lost discipline in the country’s public sector and it’s something worth applauding.

Despite a great showing, Chilima has, again, shown that he is a controversial character who is ready to get things done or do things in his own unconventional way.

For instance, it is reported that Chilima still uses personal vehicles on duty and, even worse, he drives himself.

I don’t know about you, but this is a clear symbol of a character that can do things on his way, however right to him, but without consideration of breaking protocol.

That controversy is well in him and, frankly speaking, it can impact both positively and negatively on how he exudes his duties for the good of Malawians.

But despite that, it would be an understatement that, at least, the Office of the Vice President is in the rights of Chilima who, in 100 days, has proved to be energetic, professional, focused and controversial in how he exudes his work.

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Bauleni12
Bauleni12
3 years ago

This guy is on a mission. He is making the president look clueless and redundant while he watches from the benches waiting for his turn to show up like Messi. Chakwera is in big trouble digging his grave everyday with silly amateur mistakes.

Che Wanimiliyoni
Che Wanimiliyoni
3 years ago

Ngakhale cyclist ali inexperienced koma wapakaliya saenera kuimba belu mungagwetse njinga. Wait till 2030 akatuluka Chakwera if he will still be relevant and win tizaone his first 100 days. Koma ndedakaika ngati angazawine coz from 2025 – 2030 SKC azakhala atamukundika/mkute ndiye no longer fresh in 2030?

Anaconda Mfune
Anaconda Mfune
3 years ago

Judging from the tone, Mr. Fiko shows that he is trying to play a pipers tune on behalf of Chilima, inversely demeaning the mediocrity displayed by Chakwera. But I think all he is doing is being unfair on the boss. The two guys are in it together. If the Malawian ship sails safely to the shores, the commendations will go to both lads. If the ship sinks, both will drown as a pair. Therefore it is not true to say Chilima has excelled and Chakwera has failed yet they exchange notes. You saw it during the parliament session when Chilima… Read more »

zomba womba
zomba womba
3 years ago
Reply to  Anaconda Mfune

The fact is that despite working as a team. The Tonse Alliance. They are still and will always be assessed on individual performance because everyone has their own individual role to play. So that’s why you also have deputy ministers, ministers, the president and vice President. Just like in a football team. Goalkeeper and a finisher.

mtete
mtete
3 years ago

I think the review/audit of suppliers/contractors should be speeded up because, although commendable, the exercise has unfairly delayed payments to bonafide service providers which in turn has wages payments.
A word of caution: is Government aware that the review/audit of suppliers/ contractors is, maybe, being deliberately delayed just to embarrass and frustrate the exercise? It’s common knowledge that the DPP government ensure every crany and nook was occupied by DPP sympathisers.

Bauer
Bauer
3 years ago
Reply to  mtete

I couldnt agree with you more on this.It is really delaying projects and i hope they can speed up this process or even putting a band of which contracts/paymenta can be processed.Even donor funded projects have been affected by this process.Not good

Marumbo
3 years ago

Is going around parastatals and banging tables and castigating CEOs what you are calling an achievement in 100 days? Yes chilima may look energetic due to gymnastics so what has the nation to do with that? Please tell us real milestones that have been achieved in 100 days not cheap talk.

Last edited 3 years ago by Marumbo
Ndadabwa
3 years ago
Reply to  Marumbo

Yes, it is an achievement which yur stupid vice president and his boss peter could not do coz they were both daft including yu thief, cadet

Mwinithako
Mwinithako
3 years ago
Reply to  Ndadabwa

Bwanji kodi inu ndindaletu izii muzisiya ena analikonkoootu kk.Chilima azazisiya inu mwachitapo chiyani kupatula kutukana anzanu ndikumapsya mtima kkk.

DANIELphiri
DANIELphiri
3 years ago

Chakwera is a very cool guy. Could you also read about Martin Luther King. Was he not a man of God. We are to be united thus all. Udindiwo siwofunika kulimbirana ayi kuti ena apeze cholankhula.

Benjones
Benjones
3 years ago

You still have to do A lot of hard work. The country in in total mess. Each and every corner has major problems.

Phwisa
Phwisa
3 years ago

So being energetic, professional and focused is one of the success in the first 100 days of Chilima

Rise and shine
Rise and shine
3 years ago
Reply to  Phwisa

Yes it is !!! Its a big difference from being aloof, clueless, ignorant, and retarded like APM and a Dzonzi

Ndadabwa
3 years ago
Reply to  Phwisa

Uchira galu iwe. Njiru ikupha. Umwa mafinya ako omwe

PHRIWAPHIRI
3 years ago

KEEP IT UP CHILIMA BUT MIND YOUR TEMPER, MUNTHU WA MULUNGU UYU ANAPITA KU WRONG FIELD, ITS DIFFICULT TO LEAVE NTCHITO YAMULUNGU AND SUCCEED POLITICS INVOLVES ALOT OF BAD THINGS.MR MVULA NDITHU YOU BE SO LOW THAT WEEK IN WEEK OUT YOU TALK ABOUT DPP? WHAT A SHAME eeeeeeeeeeeee TO YOU KASAKULA KASUNGU BOY, I REMEBER YOU TOLD US THAT YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT GOVERNMENT ON YOUR TV, NOW WHAT IS DPP IN GOVERNEMT ? NO WONDER YOU DID NOT WIN AWARDS THIS YEAR COS OF TOO MUCH POLITICS SHAME ON YOU uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu TO GOSPEL KAZAKO WHat a shame you… Read more »

Royal Jelly
Royal Jelly
3 years ago
Reply to  PHRIWAPHIRI

You must learn not to write in all capital letters. It is very irritating to read such texts.

Last edited 3 years ago by Royal Jelly
Sikelo Gonani
Sikelo Gonani
3 years ago
Reply to  Royal Jelly

Kkkkk,

Rise and shine
Rise and shine
3 years ago
Reply to  PHRIWAPHIRI

Learn the etiquette of writing/communication, writing all in caps has a different connotation to the learned people!

Keen Observer
Keen Observer
3 years ago

Kkkkkkkkk nice one. Controversial, that is Chilima for you. He is not a tamed animal. He is an independent Chilima that’s what people expect from him. Our prayers should always be that this combination of him & Chakwera must keep on working together in harmony. And whatever agreement is there with Chakwera, Chakwera himself must be a gentleman when the time comes he must respect the agreement & do the honourable thing. Period.

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