First SONA: President Chakwera must show, not tell, clear direction of his leadership!
President Lazarus Chakwera rose to the presidency fueled by a promise of giving the country back to Malawians after years of being captured by former leader Peter Mutharika and few cronies from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
In giving the country back to Malawians, he meant stopping and reversing every decision that Mutharika and cronies took to keep Malawians in shallows and miseries.
Specifically, it meant stopping corruption even by his own henchmen, reducing presidential powers, strengthening institutions, killing nepotism, creating jobs, re-energizing the economy, improving social service deliveries—the hallmark of Tonse Alliances’ ‘Malawi Wokomera Tonse’ [Malawi that Benefits All].
For the three months Chakwera has been in office, he has taken several leadership decisions that, in his wisdom, aims at helping him achieve the goal of creating a Malawi that benefits all.
In all these decisions—mostly public appointments and hounding up those suspected to have been part of looting public money—Chakwera hasn’t won it all, of course, partly because there will always be two sides to every decision he makes.
Truth be told, as fallen writer Ralph Tenthani would always say in his ‘Muckracking’, Chakwera hasn’t yet faced a riled public with his decisions, fundamentally, because there a blowing public goodwill in the air and, if you listen carefully, it says: ‘let’s give this guy sometime’.
That is why Chakwera should never confuse the blowing goodwill with submission. The public is only being human about it. They know, even against the prevailing pains being experienced, that you don’t sow and harvest in a day. On June 23, Malawians sowed Chakwera and, in their patience, they are busy watering him to fruition, not failure.
However, public goodwill is like a model on a slimming diet. It wears out every day and, frankly speaking, three months in office is not a joke for Chakwera to have defined, through a clear direction, how he wants to create a better Malawi for all.
Let me take you, a bit back, to 2004. Bingu Wa Mutharika won on a United Democratic Front (UDF) ticket with a promise of turning the country around from the Lost Decade, as Emmie Chanika said, engineered by Bakili Muluzi.
In turning the country around, it meant doing something different from what the chairperson of the then ruling UDF, Muluzi.
True to his words, Bingu chose a different path: he fought corruption, strengthened public service, improved food security, reviewed foreign policy, spurred infrastructure and, to cap it all, spoke hope with actions, not just words.
Through his refreshed technocratic Cabinet, through his defiant stand against World Bank on subsidies, through his abandon of Taiwan and adoption of China, through his corruption fight which included even the arrest of a sitting cabinet minister, through his resolve to reach out to political divides—you could feel, not told, that the country is on the right direction to economic goodness.
It was not even a matter of expecting the President to have weekly radio updates to clarify, defend and advance any position taken. His works, even before he clocked first 100 days, spoke for him. In fact, the landslide victory he got in 2009 was only an endorsement of his well proven leadership.
On the contrary, Chakwera’s three months have been defined by a series of leadership decisions—sometimes bleak, sometimes hopeful; the ambiguity that, potently, symbolizes an integral letdown to clearly show, not tell, the road he is using in this journey of taking Malawians to a better Malawi for all.
Perhaps, we may be too quick to judge—of course. Well, then as he talks to every Malawian this Friday, during his first State of Nation Address (SONA), Chakwera has a grand opportunity to show Malawians how he will be running them.
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What a Great Speech SONA, so proud of you Mr President. I understood every word you said
Amalawi anafika pomazikayikira okha….kkkkkk. learn to appreciate others. Give the president time. Tax, ma passport etc sangangotsitsa within a year. The government needs money kaye panopa sinanga ena aja anatolamo. It’s a process. Mimba timadikira 9 months osati same wakwera kumayembekeza kuti ubala mwana
To those who are impatient and are crying for development or “chitukuko” to happen within 2 months, do you know that just booting out the tribalistic and corrupt DPP out of office is already chitukuko on its own?
Only idiots think along those lines
Between @Masharubu above and you Kwengwere, you are the idiot. Now that DPP is out of government, our public coffers are now safe from plunder. Kagwere uko stupid cadet.
Chakwera talks a lot but does little. This government is full of journeymen. The only achievement is number of kilometres covered and Kaliati and Habida Mia are the highest.
It has been two months and 5 days since the president was sworn-in and someone is expecting what was promised to be fulfilled.
Another Goat in the office of president.
No free electricity connection
No free water connection
No tax free band
No duty free week
No kudya katatu
No passport reduction
Super hi5 up in flames. Shame on you mcp n chakwera. Viva utm.
Mbuli iwe you dont understand government. So you wanted Chakwera to dictate all these. It doesnt work like that no wonder you think like a goat
Don’t even say “Viva UTM” for you are not UTM. You are clearly cadet namalira
It took 6yrs for dpp to destroy the country, now you want Tonse alliance to rebuild it in less than 100 days,
Gate a life
Time to listen to Sean Kampondeni easy again
This guy is living in the past. Bingu is long dead. Live in the present. By the way, why are you not talking a out the despot who has just been deposed? What measure did you give that sleeping despot?
When tackling the best for the future, the best of the past can be the base.
Wawa, things are changing every hour in this World! Don’t worry Chakwera is not going to be Bingu!
The whole country knows that Bingu was amazing in his first 5 years. We can learn from that. let’s not just hate for the sake of it
If you have been following his speeches very carefully and not just full of negativity you should by know that the direction of his leadership is about:
Mbalame yapakamwa siinona
We are waiting
I’m failing to get the gist of what You’re trying to communicate. Please write if you really have something to write don’t do it just for the sake of it.
Ok.
Chakwera need to read the minds of those who tirelessly risked their lives to take him through where he is today, and this can only be done if he sets independent truth commission where people will be compensated of any atrocities incurred by DPP, failing which, not all will be well..
People have not even been compensated for MCP atrocities yet.
Hon chakwera tells so many falsehoods that his mendaciloquence is clear for all to see.
Imbwa, Galu yamunthu iwe