Chilima wax lyrical of Kamuzu, canonising ‘Ngwazi’ as holy patron saint of Malawi development
State Vice President Saulos Chilima who is challenging his boss President Peter Mutharika in the next year’s presidential race has paid tribute to Malawi’s first Head of State, the late Ngwazi Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda whom he touted for visionary leadership, saying his work shall forever remain the foundation upon which the development and prosperity of this great nation is built.
Chilima, addressing a political rally by his United Transformation Movement (UTM) at Chankhanga School ground in Kasungu Municipality, Kamuzu’s home district, said the Ngwazi was spearheading infrastructure development after the country attained independence from Britain in 1964.
He praised the late Kamuzu Banda, saying much as he had his shortfalls but the late Kamuzu was a visionary and development conscious leader who had put up durable infrastructure such as roads, railway between Blantyre and Lilongwe and buildings.
“Kamuzu Banda had a great vision for the country. No one can oppose that he was a visionary leader… He constructed durable roads in the country,” said Chilima.
Chilima also paid tribute to the late Banda for the important role he played in raising the country’s education standards
University of Malawi’s College of Medicine, the Polytechnic, Chancellor College, Bunda College of Agriculture, Kamuzu College of Nursing, Natural Resources College, the Staff Development Institute (formerly Mpemba Staff Training College) and the Kamuzu Academy as some of the establishments by the late Dr Kamuzu Banda.
Chilima disclosed that said UTM government will upgrade Kasungu Teacher Training College into a university which will be known as Kamuzu University in honour of the late Banda to train teachers and upgrade Kasungu Municipality into a city council.
“Kamuzu laid a practical and solid foundation for the transformation of this country. Unfortunately, instead of taking advantage of the foundation to develop this country, his successors have only managed to ransack what Kamuzu had put in place,” he said.
The Vice President said Kamuzu Banda is the fulcrum around which the country will always hold.
Kamuzu Banda ruled Malawi for 31 years before losing power in 1994 to Bakili Muluzi following winds of change blowing at the time in this part of Africa.
He died in 1997 and hailed from Chiwengo village in the tobacco growing district of Kasungu.
Chilima also paid tribute to late President Bingu wa Mutharika for trying to implement development projects in line with Kamuzu’s vision.
However, commentators say Kamuzu is not a hero, but a tinpot dictator, who for 31 years, terrorised his own people to serve his overgrown ego and those close to him.
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Kikiki Koma kuganiza kuliko m’mutu wa Chilima eti? What did this guy really learn at Chirunga, beside memorizing facts?
Even an idiot could have done better than Kamuzu, in terms of developing this country.
How difficult could it have been when there only 3 million Malawians in 1964, compared to 18 million today? And in a DICTATORSHIP – no opposing ideas whatsoever tolerated – to boot!
Chilima must be very careful in lionizing Kamuzu, because there are many people who are offended, and take umbrage to that: for many obvious reasons, the main ones being the extrajudicial killings and general abuse of human rights to the extreme, even by African standards of that time. Asa.
The people Kamuzu terrorised were obviously stupid. Look what they have done when they returned after 1993. Thieves corrupt to the bone and completely clueless. No wonder Kamuzu couldn’t tolerate them. Peter for instance would’ve been good meat for crocodiles not president.
@Kanchenga
Koma iwe ungalembe zimenezi ndithu eti?
You have no pity for those who were murdered by The Dictator and his followers?
Mr.Chilima,although Iam your ardent supporter,I do not support you on narration that the former brutal and tribalistically President Banda developed Malawi.Which Malawi is that taking into account that the North is still DEAD NORTH while the South and Central Malawi are a bit developed.If development for you means Sanjikas and spending Millions of State funds driving from South to North for crop inspections followed by prostitutes leaving their hasbands taking care of young children and many men go back with brutal gonorrhea just to give it to their wives back home.Is tha development Dr.Chilima? You have travelled many parts of the North,have you found any signs of development in the North? Nyika is one of the best National Parks in the world,but Banda abandoned it because,it was located in the North.There were two Minies in the North,Kayeyekela and Coal Mine at Mchenga,these important resources,could have an economic impact not only for the North but,for all three Regions.Now can you call that DEVELOPMENT? There are few tarred roads in the North,is that development? One hospital which is at Mzuzu,is that development? The Muthalika government ordered the destruction of wonderful trees at Chikangawa and Nyika,are these developments Dr.Chilima? Choose other words if you want votes from the North and for your information,the North has been deliberately left to die a natural demise.On Quota System,I give you HEKKOS!!!!!!
A VP too much promises just to gain popularity,,,,,koma mukwanitsa?To upgrade kasungu t t c to kamuzu university pamenepa ndiye kuti mwapanga chitukuko? Nenani zoti mukhoza kuzamanga ngati mungadzakhale mtsogoleri wa dziko osamachita ngati bakili,,,,
Akuti mmimba ndi mchipala. Momwemo munatulika no nonsense Bingu and momwemo munatuluka tsinzinantole Pumbwa. Chimphamba chokuba K145 million.
Why didn’t you praise Kamuzu in Mzuzu or Chileka the previous day. This tribalistic and regionalistic politics is what we are tired of and you are just proving you will play with peoples tribal mentalities. Promising Kamuzu University while in Kasungu to entice people who believe Kamuzu was from there. At least Bingus plans for universities he said them at one time and not targetted to any base. It was a national plan.
SKC spends time at the podium reading his speeches, and getting off the notes to altercate against the current government with absolutely rude intonations. I wonder if this amounts to eloquence. Or is it impunity and rudeness to former colleagues.
Who cares. Would you rather have thieves not read from a script and plunder the country
For 4 good years he was in your so-called “thieves’ den”. Wining and dining with them replete with women dancing for him. And for four years your mouth was shut. After failing to unorthoxocally climb to the highest position in your so called den of thieves he has moved out and pointing fingers. Would a no nonsense person clap hands for such an act? Umfune.
You can not Honour Kamuzu by Renaming a TTC which his govt. built.Just look at his Standards College of Medicine,how long did it take to Build.Just Build a New University than simple solutions. We still remember Atcheya turning Mzuzu TTC into a University. Up to now no TTC has been built in Mzuzu as replacement. Don’t dishonor the Man of Standards please!
To be fair, even if it had been a dog in charge of the country for the first 30 years of independence, it would have had to put the basic foundations in place.
Actually the Ngwazi should have done much more in areas of mining for example.
@BigMan
Trut’ to dat.
Now, you are commenting truthfully, like a few years ago, in contrast to your recent ideas since you joined the new Bus Company, UTM.
@BigMan
Exactly my point! How can one compare performance of a government in one party era with that of a government in multiparty system? Malawians are too lazy with thinking. Seriously, can a sane person compare a guava with a pineapple? If Malawians want to measure Kamuzu’s performance, then compare it with the performance of Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya or that of Julius Nyerere of Tanzania or that of Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, for example. And for sure we all know that Kamuzu will look an inferior performer among these leaders. These governments did not have the CSOs, NGOs and multiparty parliaments. There was no government sabotage and pull-him-down syndrome. I am disappointed with how some Malawians think. Too lazy with their brains.
That is praising the MCP government indirectly. Thanks very much SKC. You are part of the failures. Four years working with thieves and idiots.
l totally agree with Chilima l always argue with wazungu that Malawi was lovely until they brought multiparty which doesn’t work. only Kamuzu had Malawi at heart. All the presidents elected comes in power to enrich themselves not the interests of Malawians. l grew up during Kamuzu Banda’s time the country was disciplined. .Malawi never short of Maize, free education , free medication in the hospitals. and many more. l miss Kamuzu Banda, MHSRIP
And the crocodiles had their bellies full, which lovely Malawi are you talking about? Unless you are MCP.
@Beee
Nanu inu! “Malawi never short of Maize (sic), free education , free medication (sic) …” Mukuti chani?
Again, there were only 3 million Malawians in 1964 cf. 18 million today.
And, BTW, when the dictator said “discipline”, he meant “OBEDIENCE TO HIM” and no less; not the way most educated people understand “discipline” to mean.
What Chilima is saying of late Bandas development work is true. Banda developed our poor country in many ways than any of his successors despite being a dictator. Malawi needs another visionary and intelligent leader who can take the country forward, and there is no other than Chilima.
DR KAMUZU BANDA AND THE MIGHTY MCP….!!!!!! MCP MOTO KUTI BOOOUUUU !!!!
Whilst we all acknowledge that Kamuzu was barbaric and terrorised his opponents, we must also in the same vain, acknowledge his visionary leadership. Malawi was one of the economically developed in Southern Africa and was therefore envy of our neighbours (Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania). Infrastructure was solid, futuristic and of high standards. Today Malawi is a laughing stock of its neighbours and sadly we don’t even know why they’re laughing at us. Our political leaders delude themselves that we are the best. Malawi is a sorry state whose citizens are brain dead.
That’s not true., At the end of Kamuzu’s reign of terror in 94, Malawi still had a significantly lower GDP per capita than Zambia and Tanzania. It was around 700 vs Zambia’s 2300 and Tanzania’s 1500. Moz had lower income but mostly on account of their civil war. We were never the envy of anyone. Those were just some of the lies Kamuzu’s North Korea-like regime spread. The truth is we have never ever had decent leadership. Our modern leaders are just as bad as Kamuzu was. But at least now we have democracy and the means to vote them out.
Exactly, people go overboard about Kamuzu’s infrastructural achievements.
@Johane
Yours is post of the year. Whoever thinks we were once a prosperous nation needs their head examined.
Malawi wasn’t the 3rd poorest country in the country in the 70s or 80s. Primary and secpndary education was almost free; university education was free and scholarships abroad were readily available. There were functioning clinics, health centers and hospitals with necessary drugs. There was functioning Admarc and related companies like Grain & Milling etc. yes the country had its challenges under Kamuzu rule but things weren’t this bad Johane. We were free to move around without fear for our lives. There were not as many women abuse as we have today. There’s a sense of human dignity. If one worked hard, they were assured of fruits. Today kids are given pooor and irrelevant education which after graduating they can’t get a job at all. They can’t even be entrepreneurs because of poor education and lack of exposure,
Dzukani, you’re still wrong. In 1994 Malawi had the 2nd lowest GDP per capita in the world, ahead of only Liberia which was mired in civil conflict. At the time Kamuzu stepped down, Malawi was the WORST performing country in terms of economic gains since independence compared to all other non-conflict African states. Don’t rely on your own subjective anecdotal evidence. Like me you probably grew up in a plush central/south region urban neighbourhood in the 80s/90s. Kamuzu was a renown elitist hence why he accorded the best infrastructure and care to people in our parts. This will be my last point on the matter. I encourage you to read about our history and research the actual data. Do not rely on your own biased memories. “Malawi’s Lost years” by Mwakasungura and Kapote is a good starting point.
I have no doubt about the veracity of the researched economic data that you have put across relating to the 90’s; and thats not my point of reference. I am talking of Malawi at its peak before the economy started going pear-shaped probably in the period you are referring to. We all would have liked to have a Malawi that compares favourably with its neighbours or even better. We cannot hide under the fact that the country doesn’t have natural resources or that it is landlocked. Rwanda has managed to lift itself from a sorry state to what it is today with all the above-mentioned challenges (no major natural resources to talk about and is landlocked). debating about the accuracy of economic data and which leader was better than other the other wont take us anywhere Johane. Let’s focus on the future and be active participants in building a better Malawi that we all can be proud of globally. Let’s learn from the mistakes that Kamuzu, Bakili, Bingu, Joyce and Peter have all made; and build a different and prosperous Malawi. We all agree that we haven’t have had great visionary leaders in the past few decades hence where Malawi is today, but the country is endowed with so much young and hungry human power to build a prosperous Malawi for all who live in it.
@Johane
You have touched on some of the most salient points here.
We were a so-called “peaceful” country BY THE WEST because we didn’t even passively support the freedom fighters in Mozambique, right next door; and we were in collusion with the evil Apartheit regime in South Africa, suppressing and killing our fellow Africans – all for a few Rands to “develop” the Capital, Lilongwe.
Indeed, contrary to @DzukaniAmalawi’s asssertion, we were, then, the laughing stock, and (worse) sellouts, as Malawians. It was actually more than shameful, it was almost depressing, to get the sneers from Africans and others (including, surprise, even white people) when you were among them.
Thanks to that dictator, Kamuzu. There is no way he can rest in peace, even today.
I may have to admit that all of you Mwananyanian, Johane and Agree may have a point. For those who lived in the Kamuzu era cannot sweep his atrocities under the carpet and it may be that we were so closed in our own world that we viewed his sparse infrastructural developments as world class whilst in fact it was to hoodwink all of us into believing that he was a genius. In fact, many Malawians today are so subservient to authorities because of how Kamuzu dealt with those who opposed him. Most of us retreat to the position of defeat once challenged which instead helpful for the country today. Kamuzu did indeed “kill” generations and generations of Malawians and what we see today is the result of the seed he planted. However, let’s all look forward and dust off all the remnants of those who have ruled the country in the past decades and make Malawi great!
Desperate speech mpakana mwayamba kupangira campaign MCP koma simukuzindikira. Apa Chakwera akulamulira basi!
chakwera z not kamuzu, you are just a misguided mortal!!!!
Iwenso @Youna, just forget it. You’re still day dreaming…Why are you happy to be on the losing side? Chakwera mfundo zake ziti. He hasn’t said anything solid…nayenso was happy kuday nawo ma banzi a Mutharika zoti ali ku opposition kuyiwala…SATITHANDIZA CHAKWERA.
Watch this , SKC is strategic in his campaign. He cant say much about Kamiuzu else where other than in Kasungu . He knows the Kamuzu family is there in KU , his relatives and kins men. SKC knows where to say what !!
Boja ni loipa tere vnthu va mbiri volimba adamanga ni Kamuzu. Wena awa chaje ni kabwere mawa.Kasungu Development Corporation Ltd should be created to oversee investments in that fertile part of malawi i.e Agri-processing, tourism,mining etc are a possibility.
“WANA WA MZAKO NI WAKO YEMWE UKACHENJERA MANJA UMBADYA NAYE”…achewa ambatero!
ok
Malawians dont know their history. Kamuzu was a barbaric egotistic dictator, He was a medical doctor by training and understood very little about development. While our neighbours were developing a broader sources of income throughmining, tourism etc Kamuzu was obssessed with just tobacco. That’s why our economy now is so fragile and over-dependent on agriculture.
it seems you are a barbaric egotistic intellectually challenged simpleton who knows nothing.
Resorting to personal insults?! How mature. And I’m the simpleton?
@kavibangwa
That is simply no way to argue back.
And unacceptable too, because @Johane has been all civil in the thread of his/her arguments.
For 24 years now you have failed to prove Kamuzu was bad. Mulli is stealing. Alamu Pumbwa Mwakula was caught pants down kuba. Bakili still has a case to answer. Bingu killed 20 demonstrators in July 2011.
@Johane
1. Don’t waste your time responding to ignorant useless people here.
2. Only less than a percentage can agree with the facts you have expressed above because most Malawians are stupid, ignorant and lazy to think. And they hate intelligent people like you. But this should not discourage you.
3. I think this won’t be your last time to comment here because I know an intelligent comment when I see one.
4. I also don’t believe that Kamuzu was a Malawian. I have many reasons to doubt his Malawianness. For example, while in the UK, he decided to come back to Africa and do business in health sector. He chose to open his private hospital in Acra, Ghana. Why not in his country Malawi? Was Acra economically so better than Malawi or South Africa or Kenya or Nigeria or Namibia? Or was Ghana not still under the colonial rule like any other African countries at that time? Obviously not. So if it was the economic factor, obviously South Africa would have qualified for his hospital. But no, Kamuzu chose Acra, Ghana. Why?
Anyway, I can’t write down all the reasons here. But Kamuzu was and still remains a mysterious man today.