Newspaper hails VP Chilima on dykegate blast: Malawi deserves better than this horror
Malawi’s flasghsip newspaper, the Daily Times, has commended State Vice-President Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC) for openely condemning BRL Engineering who are the designers and supervisors of Tengani dyke for the poor construction work suggesting the hardline stance is “way to go”.


Chilima said when he visted the K289 million dyke built under the Shire River Basin Management Project that it is “a waste of resources.”
The newspaper’s leader piece brands Chilima’s reaction after visiting the newly constructed dyke in the area of senior chief Tengani in Nsanje Central Constituency constructed with an aim of protecting people of the area from flood s “very sensible” and that “his anger was justified.”
Chilima said the 823-meter long dyke can be replaced after two years but they cannot replace people’s lives.
The paper noted that Chilima has in the recent past called on construction companies and others to “step up” on building long lasting structures that can resist natural disasters that are now taking a toll on the country.
The editorial states: “Many well-meaning Malawians, alarmed by damning revelations of high-level corruption, and its effects in the construction industry, may agree with Chilima and have joined the increasingly caustic chorus, demanding to know the government’s position, or ascribing motives, for not taking to task bad workmanship.”
Times comment piece also states: “It’s heartening that the Vice-President demanded a good job from the contractor, and spoke for many patriotic Malawians, when many of his colleagues in Cabinet have given up entirely. They’ve walked away from insisting on a good job, and reprimanding those who fail to keep the standards that the first president, the late Kamuzu Banda, instilled in many of us.”
The paper said they are convinced the hardline stance by Chilima is not new and is not a matter of political expedience that will disappear if his DPP is re-elected next year.
Even before he became Vice-President – and ever since – Chilima has always demonstrated commitment. And he remains every bit as committed as ever to a Malawi that is hard working and strives to make a difference.
Currently, President Peter Mutharika and his vice, Chilima are barely managing their sour on and off relationship. Word on the street is that, Chilima is the type of leader Malawi desperately needs to make any tangible progress in the fight against poverty and corruption.
Why is he not spelling out what action he will take since he knows the culprit to be the Minister alongside him on the trip!?
For those who do not wish The DPP and President Mutharika well, I have a piece of advice. I will start by reminding you that Dr Saulos Chilima is a DPP member and that out of all political parties he chose DPP as a party whose ideologies and manifesto he subscribes to. So whatever he does or say is in line with the parties policies and beliefs. If Chilima is a good leader, then it is a reflection of a party and government that he is part of. More over its not only Dr Chilima who have been condemning poor construction work even Hon Nankhumwa have been saying the same. What I see here is some people with ill intentions trying to create a rift between the president and his vice out of nothing. Please be objective in reporting and commenting. You may hate DPP but the truth is it is the ruling party until 2019. It will be up to the voters to decide whether they should re elect it or not. Lets be patriotic and move forward together as a nation.
Please continue the good work.
Also consider the quality of the road being laid in Neno. It is being washed away by the rain as we speak.
Akuti DPP inakaphulira dollar hence the money used for the dyke was not enough. A Malawi penyani, matchonawa atimaliza ndithu!
I have never said and or comment anything about Mr Chilima as the VP of Malawi,but to day i have his time because what i had before was much to understand him of which am not regretting at all.
Mr Chilima is and will be a good new blood in Politics,only if he will have a second choice in his life.
He can be the good material in Malawi because of his courage.
But the team he is with, just wanted to use him scoring their agenda. That is why you too you always say he is a good person, meaning that you differentiate between him and his Boss, by doing so, you create a gap between him and the team he is with. Therefore i wish he could change it before he ended up being nothing.
Remember he never went for convention, he was just picked just as what other parties also do. Some body would ask, what was so special in him that others does not have?Am sure the D.P.P team did not know who is Chilima, But to day i want to open your eyes and show you who is Chilima.
1 Chilima is not a politician., i tell you what, if he is a politician he would resign long time ago because of the pain and treatment he is getting from his own team. I don’t need to go in details about that!
2 Chilima would be a State man, because of his courage, he has people at heart, but the team he is with can not allow that, you know why? i don’t need to go far much on that.
3 Chilima, as the VP he is under something that he always regret it every day, remember wa pa kaliyala samaimba belu. therefore what ever he says kaya zabwino kaya zoipa sizimapindula kanthu because the team will always find a way of erasing what he said in every meeting the can have.
Until he changes his choice this time, he can not make it.
Mr Chilima you were the material, thanks to the D.P.P to reveal this guy Chilima though you have just used him. Chilima i would like to ask you only one thing, with your good heart and the way you do your things, you need people who can recognize and appreciate you at the same time. But with this team you are in, i repeat this time you are not making it.
Chilima is the man< He is the type of the president we need
I will repeat. . This is the President.