MCP leader gives a glimpse of a ‘new Malawi enjoyed by everyone’ not the few
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera, who is also leader of opposition in parliament, used the State of the Nation Address (SONA) response as a platform to outline his party’s plans for the country should the MCP govern after next year’s elections.
Chakwera in more militant tone told Parliament that his detractors, who accuse him of merely criticising government without giving it solutions, should know such solutions and suggestions are in all his speeches in the House, adding that the government is too arrogant to adopt any of them.
“We are not in this mess because of a lack of good ideas or alternatives, but because of the DPP’s lack of political will to use any of the alternative ideas,” he said.
Chakwera outlined an alternative vision for Malawi.
“So now I am determined to partner with young Malawians in pursuing the alternative vision I have for the country, since the DPP is too infected to make a healthy partner for development, as a certain political party has found out. But Mr. Speaker, Sir, this alternative vision is not one I created or manufactured alone, but one that young Malawians themselves have helped curate and entrusted to my care as I have interacted with them across the country, from the tea estates of Mulanje and Thyolo to the plateaus of Rumphi and Karonga.
“ It is an alternative vision for Malawi that I have heard young Malawians in Nsanje and Chikwawa describe as they have narrated their suffering to me after failing to secure a job at the only company in their communities. It is an alternative vision for Malawi that young Malawians in Rumphi, Mzimba, and Nkhata-Bay have etched on my heart as they described the pain of failing to afford or qualify for University after passing MSCE exams with flying colours. It is an alternative vision for Malawi that young Malawians in Machinga, Mangochi, Zomba, Ntcheu, and Balaka have fuelled in me as they have told me their frustrations with unemployment and their struggle to start or grow a business in a country where the DPP government has allowed market terms and conditions to be dictated by foreigners,” said Chakwera in his American accent.
Chakwera said he would pursue his vision as a servant-leader and provide change of direction for a “new Malawi to be enjoyed by everyone”.
“That is what our people want, and that is what we promise to deliver if trusted to govern,” he said.
He called for the country to look to a better future under an MCP government.
“ A New Malawi Enjoyed by Everyone will be a country with economic opportunities for all. We will invest in infrastructure critical to economic activity. I am talking about guaranteeing electricity for industry throughout the day and creating a Solar Energy National Subsidy Effort (SENSE) to make electricity accessible to homes even off the grid. I am talking about making our cities attractive for investment by making dirt-roads in our cities a thing of the past. I am talking about implementing irrigation schemes and employing irrigation technologies to make our farms productive in and out of season.
“I am talking about scaling up import substitution opportunities in order to improve the country’s trade balance and overall current account status. I am talking about adopting an aggressive policy that promotes the production of exportable commodities. I am talking about expanding the infant agro-industrial manufacturing even if it means initially substituting the imported food commodities which the country can produce for itself. I am talking about giving private sector businesses tax breaks for giving young people under the age of 30 part-time jobs, so that more young people have a chance to start earning an income.”
Rubbishing Mutharika’s address, Chakwera said it was sad to note that the only thing the President had to offer young people was the construction of more stadiums, probably with borrowed money.
“The irony is that when the President was a young man, he was given opportunities to study, to work, to build a career, and to build an income, and yet as an older man, he is offering young people nothing more than stadiums that remain empty most of the year and cost millions to maintain and manage,” he said.
Chakwera said his administration on ‘ A New Malawi Enjoyed by Everyone’ will be a country with basic services for all.
“ Here, I am talking about access to education, health, water, and sanitation. No Malawian citizen should sleep on the floor in a hospital, or spend a whole day in the hospital without being seen by a doctor, or be sent to a private pharmacy to buy medicines that have been stolen from public hospital, or end up in the hospital because the Government made them drink sewage water,” he said.
He said his administration would embrace good governance where institutions will be measured by a credit score, mobilise financial resources needed to carry out the key investments in infrastructure and services and spend public resources judiciously on the key priorities, among others.
“We will subject all governance institutions to be measured by a CREDIT score. This will be a public service performance evaluation system that will annually scrutinize every government department to see if it is Corruption-free, Responsive, Enthusiastic, Disciplined, Innovative, and Timely. I am talking about functional government systems that work for all our people, not dysfunctional government systems that our people are forced to work around. I am talking about designing and implementing key policy reforms in various areas and sectors, enforcing policies, rules, laws, regulations, and procedures that are currently gathering dust on government shelves. I am talking about going through the whole government sector by sector to remove every element that is a product of nepotism and tribalism practiced at the expense of capacity and results,” he said.
Chakwera promised to build a lean, efficient state tasked with creating opportunities for people, instead of the bloated, corrupt state that is only dragging Malawi backwards.
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YOHANE,i think you are a bit confused by calling a human being a THING.i have read Winston’s narrations very closely and I did not see something wrong in all he wrote.By the way,its you who deserves to be called a THING.if you are well informed man,you could have criticised Winston in a civilised manner.By the way,have you been in school in your life-time? Ihope not!!!!!!!!
Yohane,Iam a human being like you and iam not a thing,this shows me that you have lost your dignity to call your fellow human being a THING.ANYWAY,i do not want to waste my time on a half-human being.It is unfortunate that God can create such baffoons to live among real human beings!!!!!!!!!!!
Another wishful thinking. Malawians link people’s ideas with their actions. If people want to work with the youth and the same people chase the youth that were proving more knowledgeable than them, then only fools should believe such people.
If people claim to distribute wealthy equally yet they spend over K800 million to have one dwelling house, which fool should believe their assertion? Demonstrate that you are not extravagant. To end the poverty of a church mouse, believed to be the poorest, is very costly and unbearable.
Pride is very difficult to accommodate, even in heaven God had to expell Lucifer from his presence because of pride. Achewa ali ndi mau oti oipa amathawa yekha. There are some people who voluntarily run away from God to avoid being expelled the moment they discover the seriously rising levels of their pride.
Any heaven being day dreamt withouting estimating its cost and the source of funding to meet such costs is just as empty. It’s high time that leaders must stop lying to people that jobs will be available some day for every job seeker. Leaders, start encouraging people to be self employed. Start considering reducing retirement age so that people leave employment earlier to create space for the ever increasing number of young job seekers in addition to preparing them to be self employed.
Leaders need to understand that our population growth is another factor contributing greatly to the country’s social ills. Any attempt to create our own utopia without addressing the challenges posed by our population growth, should only be believed by fools.
Any attempt to subsidize solar power without explaining the modality of achieving this is another fallacy. In the days where universal subsidy of commodities like fertilizer were in place was only possible with the existence of enabling government infrastructure such as Admarc and trade policies, such as monopoly in some commodities. The coming in of trade liberalization has destroyed such infrastructure and policies. One may think by taking away taxes that will result in reduction of the pricies of the said commodities but we have over profiteering businesses around. Any sweeping day dreaming solutions without taking into account existing trade agreements is a serious display of amateurism which should only be believed by fools.
We deserve something better than the empty day dreams.
I hope he had time to explain how he will finance the “subsidies” he is calling for. This myopic utopian thinking will not take anyone anywhere. I am praying for our own Thomas Sankara in Malawi one of these days, otherwise in this election, we don’t have an alternative.
Eti eti our filthy depot in lilongwe, depot yamu capital city kumanunkha zowona.
Let us do a soul searching of this man Chakwera. If he has plan for all , which is great, I have a question. When he was at assemblies how many of his congregation improved their life. Did all of his congregation do better. How many have built the house like he has or he is building now. How long did it take for his house to finish. If he could not finish the same year , what gives him confidence that he can chNge the nation at a split of a second. This is not miracle mr. Chakwera. On security, how many have lost their relatives in Malawi through robbery, or being killed . Why should security be only on chaos was and njunju ? Are other lives not matter to him but only those in politics? Shame on this man.
Enanu mukungodzilimbitsa mtima simukudziwa zili pa ground, Chakwera akuopseza ndpo atenga boma ngat enanu simusamala 2019,,,the guy is visionary,,
Mr.Chakwera,what a glimpse of a novel Malawi would every Malawian enjoy? Even in Banda’s brutal regime,not massive Malawians enjoyed the fruits of independence.A very few Banda’s dupes lived a sustainable life.Your accusation of DPP that it has not fulfilled its promises,is just a political gimmics to attract support and voters in the next coming national electins of 2019.Mr.Chakwera,talking sweet to the young people of the North,is just a gibberish to attract votes in the North.If you could abandon R.Msowoya and instead,picked Mia an Arab migrant,what does that indicate? Throwing a Malawian and an African in the lion’s jaws,is that an authentic leadership you are proud of? What most of Malawians say or ask is that who is the legitimate son of our soil to deserve the opportunity first? it is very transparent that Chakwera is following Banda’s trails of victimising the Northerners tribalistically and ethenically.However,Muthalika is also not an authentic leader when it comes to treating the Northerner,but there are some few Northern Ministers in Muthalika’s Cabinet.To say that Muthalika has failed Malawians,Chakwera is misguiding people especially the Northerners.If Msowoya had happened to be the member of DPP,Iam pretty sure that of the two,Msowoya and Mia,Muthalika could have chosen Msowoya to be a running-mate taking into account that Mia is not an African or a Malawian.Chakwera without doubt,is a puppet of Mia and do not forget that Jesus was betrayed by money.To my fellow Northerners,no matter what,you have to sweep all the seats in the North in order to remain in a strong position in the Parliament.Do not forget that you brought Multi-Party System in our country!!!!!!!!!!!
is it the Msowoya thing?
MALAWI NEEDS AN intelligent /wise leader –not only being a professor /doctor on or by papers NO NO !
Rather somebody who translate his /her brains into solutions for the wellbeing of the people in the north centre and south as one people belonging to one mother Malawi —
Full stop !!
Mr Chakwera has covered all the areas that absolutely need to be addressed if Malawi and its people are to move forward. He should be given the opportunity to lead the country and to put it on the right path to prosperity. He respects the ordinary citizen’s right to health, education and a decent standard of living. The DPP shows no concern for the majority of Malawians and is only interested in feathering the nests of its own elites. It is institutionally corrupt and devoid of all ideas to solve the country’s problems. Under the leadership of the ageing APM and his equally ageing cronies Malawi is stagnating. New blood is desperately needed. The MCP has a genuine vision for the future of Malawi and should be given the chance to prove itself.
Dr Chakwera’s speech lacks substance with no impact on the ground. The speech does not reflect the real leader one can look from. What you have underlined cannot work in a country like ours with little resources. How are you going to balance the economy with little resources against the population which is growing at a fast rate? Economy is a complex affair. Politics has just become the league of liars whereby it is difficult to differenciate the truth from falsehood. Chakwera don’t just be interested in what you want to be.
another subsidy again?
Wabaya! Choncho cadet angamve bwino, akhalira kunyoza basi. Chakwera ndi Mia wa m’boma come May 2019 .
Oho. ma promise achuluka Bwana. Brilliant ideas yes but implementation. Bvuto lake mukutenga anthu oti akhalamo mu Boma but nothing. e.g. Mia. We want new blood . We are tired of political bafoons.