Chilima share steps of mindset growth: Pleads with Malawians to end obsession with trivia
Vice-President Saulos Chilima has dazzled the nation with his lecture on ‘Mindset Change’ which he ably delivered on Friday night at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe, rapping Malawians for their obsession with trivia.
Chilima gave a powerful 40-minutes televised lecture which was aimed at challenging Malawians on the need for mindset change as a precursor to personal development, national development and smooth implementation of the public sector reforms.
“We have become a nation too much obsessed with trivia. We no longer get interested in life changing discussions. We are now a cartoon nation. We need to change this,” he said.
Chilima, who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms, also added that other areas where this country needs to change include: Stop sheer foolishness, aborting opportunistic tendencies, challenging mediocre leadership, obsessions with negativity and, also, the culture of worshiping leaders.
The country’s second-in-command said mindset is a topic that is dear to his heart and is one of the enablers for transformation.
He said: “It’s a topic we as a people must directly and fiercely engage in.”
The Veep then shared about 12 areas where most Malawians need to embrace mindset change.
- Acknowledge and embrace imperfections
- View challenges as opportunities
- Try different learning tactics
- Follow research on brain plasticity
- Replace word failing with learning
- Stop seeking approval
- Value the process over the end result
- Cultivate a sense of purpose
- Celebrate growth with others
- Emphasize growth over speed
- Reward actions, not traits.
- Redefine “genius”
- Portray criticism as positive.
Said Chilima: “We need to make a vow to do things different. Make a vow that going forward I will do things differently .
“We have an opportunity to change the fortunes of our country, today we start or we continue the debate.
“God gave us one country and it is this country we call Malawi. There shall never be another. Let’s embrace the spirit of doing things different ,only then we shall have meaningful development in this country.”
After the lecture, the Veep will took questions from the audience and also those who were watching online.
Responding to a question on youth development, Chilima said young people need their parents to be role models and help them develop skills that will help them in future.
Chilima dodged the question from. a member of the audience who cited how a perennially hungry nation waste so much food at funerals. The Veep said the issue is an emotive one, he has his own views but will keep them to himself but welcomes the debate on the matter.
Ngoni paramount chief Mbelwa V, however, asked why the country, in the 21st century, is still depending on boreholes while there are renewable energies that can help the country’s citizenry access better water supply.
On the national development agenda, Chilima says there is a long development plan that is being developed and says various ruling parties must be following the plan.
He pointed out that consultations are underway but asks all Malawians to participate in the process. He says the plan will be rolled out tentatively in December 2020.
University of Malawi’s associate professor of public administration Dr Asiyatu Chiweza who was the convenor said Chilima delivered a “moving public lecture.”
The Veep commended President Lazarus Chakwera for accepting an invitation to to attend the lecture and asked the audience to applaud the President.
This was Chilima’s second public lecture as Vice-President. The first one, titled Moral Decadence was delivered at Chancellor College Great Hall in 2018 when he was Vice-President in the former Democratic Progressive Party administration.
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DPP did more harm than good to 60% of Malawians. The party survived through theft and tippex. No question about it. It will be temerarious to give mbuli Nankhumwa the mantle. Yes APM is an idiot or an educated fool. Who can raise dpp to get 50% of the votes considering how badly they treated us with tribalism, corruption and theft? APM will take dpp with him into his grave very soon. The name dpp sends shivers down the spine.
Did SKC credit the source of the presentation. I am afraid if not the Rwandese may sue us. May be it was a deal since they used our vision 2020 and now it’s our turn. A good deal though.
To take the whole country into public lecture it will just wast time. As a leader start implimenting what is right. Move on time is not on your side. You are there to deliver and give directions not to take us into school. If the leadership knows how to do things differently get on with it. Don’t ask for limelight. Be action man
As head of Public Sector Reforms. I expected SKC to first of all reduce the appetite for luxurious expenditure in government. But what do we see Tonse alliance has increased spending for its numerous appointments in government hierarchy by buying more fuel guzzling expensive cars. Yes you are talking but your actions together says the opposite. Don’t fool Malawians.
We need to accept that we have lost two generations to Muluzis stupidity. We have many young people calling themselves vendors as if it’s a calling or a race. Let’s forget about the vending generation we have lost those. Let us start with the up coming generation. Mindset is about the mind,to change a mind we need to educate that mind well.The starting point should be revamping the education system,not just introducing artisan colleges but real revamping.60% of the budget to education. We can’t expect change if we want to see results that we can use for political reasons. Change… Read more »
Congrats! Hopefully it was firstly shared to the ministers /cabinet.Next time avoid putting in vining’a and preparing it for someone.Invite T .O .Ts to do it on your behalf, otherwise it is a very important lecture.
Chilima did an excellent job on this message if only we had more politicians who thinks like him Malawi would be Singapore indeed
agreed and the citizens.. government can do so much.. what about you and me? how are we participating?
By the end of the day he’s just a politician son of talk talk President.
How can a country like Malawi borrow billions of dollars in the name of osamaziikila ma limitations in life? How, when and who’s gonna refund those funds? Tell us things that can be done, not those fantasies.
Ask your boss to stop believing that the old retirees that he is hiring will change anything in the civil service. These people were there in the civil service and they were part of the destruction and it is foolish to expect these people to change things just because it is Chakwera ruling. I find very foolish decision even hiring Chikumbutso Mtuumodzi, a verified criminal and expect him to change things at the ministry of information. It shows the one who hired this gangster has mental deficiency. There are more capable people in the ministry of information and I find… Read more »
Another important mindset change especially for Chilima is to stop seeking the limelight. Public lectures don’t change mindsets, it’s what you do.
Publicizing meetings you have with MDAs is not a deliverable/output. It’s a mere activity.
Faking camaraderie with your boss when you are competing against his party’s seat in Karonga Central is also the usual Malawian nonsense of pretending that all is well. You should be the first one to change your mindset .
exhibit 1 – negativity
He is a hyena in a goat’s skin. Give it another 3 – 4 years he will come out of his cocoon and start chastising his boss just like what he did with Peter. The person in Chilima wants to one day live at plot number one. As such he will try all tricks in the book to undermine and look down upon his senior. All we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg and in no time his true colours will become discernible. He already bid farewell to his followers sometime back that he was on his way… Read more »