Mutharika deplores ‘sitheka’ mentality, urges mindset change: ‘Malawi we all want is possible’
President Peter Mutharika has asked Malawians to change their mindset from focusing on poverty eradication and focus more on inclusive wealth-creation and self-reliance.
Speaking on Friday in Lilongwe when he launched the consultation process for the development of the Successor to Vision 2020, whose theme is ‘beyond inclusive envisioning to getting things done,’ Muthatika said Malawians need to work even harder to move to economic independence where they shall live, without waiting for donations or hand-outs from anyone.
The function which brought together players in various sectors of the economy, is meant to open up discussion that will lead to the production of the country’s medium-term and long-term development plans.
These plans are a successor to the Vision 2020 blueprint which steered the country’s development agenda.
In his speech, President Mutharika said time has come for Malawi to become a middle-income country that is self-sustaining.
“In the next 40 years, we need to focus more on placing the rural areas at the centre of development. As I have said before, for a long time, we have assumed that development must start in the city and spread to the rural communities. For a long time, we have been taking people to development instead of taking development to the people,’’ said Mutharika.
Mutharika disclosed that by far, the Vision 2020 has not done much to benefit the country and it needs to be succeeded by a plan that can address all the challenges that Malawians are facing.
He added that his government is committed to ensuring that development is decentralized by starting from rural communities to the townships.
“I want development to start from rural communities and feed our towns and cities. After all, people in the rural areas make up more than 80 percent of our population. They grow the food which we eat. They generate the money which we use in delivering public services. We should turn to rural areas into centres of development in Malawi,” he added.
President Mutharika said the start of the consultation process will accord Malawians the opportunity to evaluate the Vision 2020, how it failed and how the nation can do better in the next 40 years.
“Our ultimate goal should be to improve the quality of life of every Malawian – from rural areas to towns and cities. The goal of my government is that every community must be food secure; Every community must have electricity; Every community must have good road network; Every community must have a secondary school; Every community must have a community technical college; Every community must have a hospital; Every community must have potable water supply.”
Mutharika said he wants the youths and women to be heard and their ideas included in the new blueprint.
“ We cannot afford to leave the youth and women behind in the process of deciding our national development for the next 40 years. And let me ask all youths and women in Malawi to take interest in this development plan and contribute their ideas,” advised Mutharika.
However, Mutharika advised Malawians to change their mindset so that they should begin to develop themselves without waiting for government to develop their communities.
“In this nation, we are too often obsessed with what is not working than what we have achieved. We dwell too much on our failures than on our capacities.
“We need to change our mind-set. We need to move from ‘sizitheka mentality to zitheka mentality’. We need to focus on our capabilities and potential. As I have said before, we need to learn to see every challenge as an opportunity,” said Mutharika.
He pointed out that there is no country in the world that does not have challenges.
“But the difference is that while our friends look at their challenges as opportunities to achieve success, we look at our challenges as reasons to find someone to blame and pull down. In every problem, our focus must be to identify solutions instead of looking out for someone to blame. That will not take us anywhere,” he said.
During the function, heads of the Legislature, the Judicature and the Civil Society and made affirmations to the success of the new plan which will run up to 2063.
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This is really good news that it has started from the top cos this what Chilima has been preaching all along and it is him with his team who have been having that mindset. Chilima leads & they all follow. That is a sign of a true leader. The Honourable thing you can do is to apologise to Chilima that sorry you were right.
The mindset change have really to start with you Mr President! You where part and pacel of the Vision 2020 development agenda for more the 10 years and this on the highest level, first as a Minister and than as President and it failed or better you have failed us! Why as a nation we should hand over to you a new development strategy programme? You will never take development to the people! You rather will misuse development programme funds like in the past, to develop your selfish private aims and political interests for staying in power for the next… Read more »
The “Tiwanyenyanyenya, MCP Will Never Rule This Country Again, Predominantly Lhomwes In Key Positions” mentality which you have miserably failed to correct Bwana APM will get us nowhere. You may as well forget Vision 2060.
Mr president, the irony is that your appeal to the supreme court of a straight forward case is strongly displaying the “sizitheka” mentality in you, yourself !! Send this message to yourself, act accordingly till there is change and then tell others to follow suit!! Pomwe inu mukuloza anzanu ndi chala chimodzi, zala zanu zitatu zikuloza inu nomwe mr president!!
SINGAPORE ija yafika tsopano koma mark my words akayamba ma party omwe acitidwa miss from May 2019 basi malawi isanduka corona virus habitat.
ma phwando ayambika kala. local man kumapatsidwa 2 pin kunyowaso pompo.
mulanje to mzuzu on a free ride with a 2pin freebees
Hehedeee, APM you are a Sizitheka Personality yourself. Shame!
Rhetoric. English English English. The evil party. Why vision 2063 when 2020 has not been implemented? What’s wrong with our country?
This is nonsense! Malawians have grown to learn that nothing really works. That’s what defines their day to day experience. Health care sasdoes not work – look at hospitals. Favouring the lhomwe people to lead parastatals and government projects. Favouring Lhomwe contractors for government jobs. Talk of rampant corruption, building roads in one region while leaving other regions to suffer because they did not vote for your MPs. The list is too long but we can conclude nothing works. You can change people’s mindset not by telling them but by doing. Malawians should learn to trust their leaders when you… Read more »
It is only two presidents who came after Dr Banda who have acknowledged what the country achieved in the first 30 years and well willing to build on that foundation. You, Arthur Muthalika and Bakaili are the people who have reminded Malawians that there was nothing the country achieved in the 30 year rule of HKB.
That is not true considering 60 percent if infrastructure we are using now is from Kamuzus Era. 80 percent of universities that are in existence now originate from Kamuzu Era. 60 percent of roads. Airports etc. Tell me what has been achieved in 26 years that can parellel that of HKB?
How did you come to 60% of road infrastructure and 80% of universities being contributed by Kamuzu? There was only one varsity of Malawi yet we have more than ten accredited universities today. Roads that were critical to business such as Chitipa to Karonga, Mulanje-Nkando- Limbe, Thyolo- Thekerani, Zomba- Jali-Chitakale, Liwonde-Nsanama, Mangochi- Namwera, Liwonde-Mangochi, Lilongwe -Kasiya, Nkhatabay- Mzuzu, Kamphata-Nkhoma etc …. As for airports, it wouldn’t make sense for a new one than upgrading the current ones we have for there is no much business in air transport to the need of a new one. We have also seen a… Read more »
I dont trust what APM says, if you cannot work with your vice. You are the one who is promoting Sizitheka mentality.
Let it work first between you and the vice president. You only want to work wirh yes bwana no wonder you have failed.
Share power for the good of the country. Its too much. You behave as if you never lived abroad. The 1st world is prpgressing becoz they have vision and they work together despite different political views. For you to develop Malawi all have to be dpp. Change mind set.