Gwengwe gives checklist of good presidential candidate for Malawi
Minister of Industry and Trade, Sosten Gwengwe, has unveiled a check list, which must help people to vote for the best presidential candidate during the 2014 presidential elections.
Speaking during a development rally, which President Joyce Banda addressed on Friday in Blantyre City South constituency, the youthful minister urged everyone who will have reached the age of 18 years to register and vote.
“Choosing a President is one of the important tasks that we have as citizens. Therefore, it is important that our decisions are well-thought-out and guided,” explained Gwengwe.
Gwengwe said a President must not just be a politician, but also a leader
“We must not just look for a politician. We must be looking for a leader, even if that person may be a politician,” he pointed out.
The minister said the person must not just be good at political rhetoric, but must be a person of action.
Gwengwe said the future was no longer the time for “agenda for that” or “jubilee for this”, but for “action this” and “action that.”
“This country has many beautiful plans already. What we have lacked in the past is implementation. We have spent our life-time talking. Now we have to go into the future with action,” he said.
Gwengwe said the future did not need leaders “who would tell us that fuel in Malawi was not available because of problems with bridges in Mozambique.”
“Malawi needs a President that will just bring fuel in the filling stations without telling us funny stories,” he said.
The young minister said the Malawi nation also needs a president who is blessed with a sense of humility.
“Malawi already has many problems. Therefore we do not need an arrogant President because their arrogance just adds onto the weight of our problems.
“We need a president who is like a caring parent, like a shock absorber, a cushion against our pains and affliction. This is the kind of person who can eat with Obama and still have time to enter houses that other people who call themselves leaders consider to be beneath them,” said Gwengwe.
The Industry and Trade minister said Malawi needs a President who can sell a presidential jet and use ordinary commercial flights for the sake of people.
“We don’t need a person who just dreams about being President to fly a helicopter,” he advised.
“As Foreign Affairs Minister, President Joyce Banda facilitated the birth of diplomatic relations between Malawi and the People’s Republic of China.
“Malawi is enjoying the fruits of this relationship as a result of the wise leadership you demonstrated as Foreign Minister,” he noted.
“What the people should be finding out from one of the presidential candidates is how he dealt with the academic freedom saga when he was Minister of Education.
Gwengwe advised that another presidential candidate owes the people an explanation how he performed when he was appointed as minister of economic planning.
“These are some of the guidelines that must be used in arriving at the ideal candidate,” he told the people. “Personally, I find President Joyce Banda as that ideal candidate.”
As a good pointer, Gwengwe said, areas under his ministry were up and running through the leadership of Dr. Banda.
“The private sector is recovering and this will create wealth and employment. The result will be sustainable economic development,” he said.
He disclosed that his ministry, under the directives of the Malawi leader, will establish about 37 OVOP (One Village One Product) projects this year alone so that people can find jobs.
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