Talking Blues: Chakwera shows true colours by dumping campaign promises
To beat Covid-19, we should follow public health officials’ advice while looking forward with hope; the same ebbing hope that President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice President Saulos Chakwera kindled on 25 May 2020 at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre.
“Dr Saulos Chilima is an expert in economic management and development. We will leave affairs of the economy to Dr Chilima so that we create one million jobs, we provide good schools, good hospitals and other services to Malawians,” said Chakwera.
Today, one wonders: does President Chakwera remember these words? I too, was wondering. But thank goodness, I got the answer on 17 January 2021.
Addressing the nation, Chakwera made a flirting reference to “campaign promises”.
“We must all accept that the scale of the pandemic demands a change of priorities. This is important to say because some are still obsessed with politics, some who are still obsessed with cabinet appointments and reshuffles, and some who are still obsessed with campaign promises that were made on assumptions and in conditions that no longer hold.”
Allow me to digress.
A professor entered the classroom. He announced a surprise test. Students were shaken, and they sat nervously, waiting. The professor handed out the examination with text facing down.
Once everyone had a paper, he asked them to turn them over. Surprise, surprise! There were no questions, just a black dot in the centre of the paper.
The professor instructed: “Write about everything you see there,” and the students got busy.
Time up, he collected answer sheets, immediately read each one out loud. All students had defined the black dot and liberally discussed its central position. The classroom then fell silent.
The professor explained, “I’m not going to grade this test. But think about this: no one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot”.
“This,” he explained, “happens in our lives. We are obsessed with the ‘black dot’ e.g. health issues, poverty, relationships, disappointments etc.”
“However,” he argued, “the dark spots are insignificant when taken in context. Yet, we often allow the black spots to overwhelm us. Forget the black dots in your lives. Count your blessings!”
My point?
President Chakwera is wrong to renege on the many promises Malawians voted him for on the flimsy if not laughable pretext that focus is now on Covid19 and that campaign promises “were made on assumptions and in conditions that no longer hold”.
Chakwera, like the black-dot obsessed students, is dead wrong.
With the right Cabinet and people around him, this need not be so.
If anything, the havoc caused by Covid19 makes his delivering on that Super-Hi5 of his, the 1,000,000 jobs, hospitals and social services imperative. Otherwise, Covid-19 will go, but chaos will haunt his government and him personally.
If he believes this is impossible, he should agree that he hired the wrong people, people with the mindsets of failures, and that his faith in them was misplaced.
A Cabinet with the right men and women with a positive can-do mindset would never allow Chakwera to renege on campaign promises.
The question is: with allegations and increasing indications that Chakwera is ‘captured’, is there a way out?
Read on.
King Arthur, a youthful royal, was ambushed and imprisoned by a hostile king and only spared from instant death by luck.
His captor eventually offered him a poisoned chalice way out. To earn freedom, Arthur needed to answer a difficult question. He would be given a year, and if after a year he still had no answer, he would be killed.
The question that Arthur had to solve was: What do women really want?
It was, as I have intimated, a poisoned chalice. A Gordian knot some would say. But, since it was better than death, Arthur committed to bring an answer by year’s end or die.
He was released and returned to his own kingdom. He got busy. Called and consulted everyone: princes and princesses, priests, wise men and even the court jester.
No answer.
He widened the consultations to the commoners but still got no answer.
Finally, some people advised him to consult an old witch who possibly knew the answer. The drawback was that the witch was famous for charging extortionate prices.
The time drew nigh, and Arthur had no choice but to approach the witch. She agreed to answer the question, “for the right price”.
What price?
The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, a noble at Arthur’s court and his closest friend! Young Arthur was horrified. The witch was obscene, hideous, and she smelled horribly.
Arthur had never encountered a creature more repugnant and a woman so repelling.
He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure the pain. However, Lancelot, upon learning of the king’s predicament, insisted.
“Your Majesty, nothing is too big a sacrifice compared to your life, I will marry the witch,” said Lancelot.
A wedding was quickly announced, and the witch answered Arthur’s question.
“What a woman really wants,” said the witch, “is to be in charge of her own life!”
Arthur ran to his captor, delivered the answer and gained his freedom.
Meanwhile, Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding. However, as night approached, Lancelot was psychologically steeling himself for a horrific experience.
After dillydallying, he entered the nuptial bedroom and boy, what a sight awaited him! The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was sitting there, patiently waiting for him.
An astounded Lancelot exclaimed, “How?”
The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth be her horribly unsightly self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.
“Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day…or night?” she asked.
Lancelot pondered…. during the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch?
Or, a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?
Lancelot said he would let HER decide.
Upon hearing this, she sweetly told him that she would be beautiful ALL the time because he had respected her enough to let her be “in charge of her own life”, i.e. had given her the freedom a woman wants!
What is Chakwera’s way out?
The answer is hiding in plain sight: Chakwera simply needs to walk his talk and allow ‘Lancelot’ to assist.
“Dr Saulos Chilima is an expert in economic management and development. We will leave affairs of the economy to Dr Chilima so that we create one million jobs, we provide good schools, good hospitals and other services to Malawians,” said Chakwera at that time.
What has changed?
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Kkkkk zomvetsa chisoni kwambiri these ppo will reap what they sew! Asabisale lerotu pachipande ayi kuti adzitinamiza ngati wana to hell with their cheap politicking! Kodi mmene APM and his DPP ankati kuli corona arent they the ones who said APM akunama? We have all the recordings for ur rallies inu a tonse alliance! So if u had said covid kunalibe ndi kuti APM amanama basitu move with ur promises musathawe ayi. Ife chomwe tidziwa nchakuti u said to malawians kulibe corona and thats why most of malawians are not taking of what u say bcoz of ur cheap politicking that time? Ndiye ntchito tikuzifuna 1,000,000 musanamizile covid apa mukagwere uko ngati zakukanikani chokanipo DPP back into govt bcoz zawonetseratu kuti inu anthu munangodana ndi APM and his party not becoz of poor governance Noooooooo! We are bringing back DPP come 2025 know this whether u like it not DPP idzalamuliranso!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just hoping kuti Abusa azitolera otherwise no hope for tangible delivery. Each passing day he proves incapable. God save Malawi
Dr. Chakwera has more than four years left in his first term. On Agriculture and in particular, the maize tonnage will surpass the average yearly production under DPP, that alone will impact not only on hunger but the economy( inflation), which will be reduced. Corruption and fraud have evidently reduced, we no longer have the Chisales diverting tax money to their pockets. We have never yet heard of the 1st lady and any of her sons and daughters mismanaging our tax money so savings are being used for the intended purpose. The lomwelisation policy is dead and buried, nowadays even someone from the North can be Reserve Bank Governor, Secretary to Treasury once again, 50 + 1 is being sustained and here to stay. We have never heard of any development project initiated by Minthalika that has been abandoned, all of them are in progress. New projects will obviously be factored in next year’s and the following years’ budgets to the extent that by 2025, Peter and his DPP will long be forgotten.
Chechamba are you living here in the country, Malawi, or you are just hearing from someone about Malawi? If at all there is change, it is worse than during DPP. Get on the ground and see the reality for your self if you are a truth seeking person. You allege there was lomwelisation of state affairs but are you not talking about chewalisation of state affairs in this government? You must be myopic, hypocritical or biased in your analysis of affairs now. Chakwera has been surrounded by his closest relatives like sons, daughters, inlaws, brothers, sisters, just to mention a few. Did any of the presidents that have led malawi sink so low? What about the nonsense that is coming from the mouths of now leaders concerning their promises? It’s as if they are talking to nursery school toddlers. These are signs of utter failure.
Typical of a Malawian a Mwapiya kufuna kutisonyeza kuti he is a good writer. He writes an infinite deal of nothing. His reasons are as two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff – you shall seek all day before you find them and when you have them, they are not worth the search.
Chilima is just watching the downfall of abusa Chakwera in the “aisovenge” style. Honestly Lazaro is not leading up-to-the-mark as most Malawians are already disappointed with his chewalisation of government business. Abusa game yawakulira. It will be too late for him to realize that the snares set by chilima are too big to escape unwounded. Ma u president ogula kukhothi sizinthu shuwa. As we speak, Kamuzu Academy and other international schools in BT are still open despite abusa’s directive that all schools must be closed. Is he really a president? Is he really in control?
Maganizo opusa ongoganiza za tribe basi all the time. This is the mentality of udf and dpp. Better udf ankawuzira but APM wakoyo basi chilichonse Lomwe except the language. Musayiwale it is the language Lomwes speak all day and night. It is only the north that has a strong language but look at the words. They are same as chichewa and the difference is pronunciation. Yaos and Senas too. Ngoni is almost dead everywhere except deep in Mpherembe.
Zakuvutani, dzilirani mwakachetechete!!!! Chewalisation yiliko bwino chifukwa awa akuwagayilako atumbuka inu lomwelisation yanu mumadya nokha kaya.MK27 million/month ya nephew wa Munthalika ija yaku RBM yikupanga zitukuko ku Nkhata Bay pano komanso ndalama zija zimapita ku Balaka pano zikupita ku Rumphi nde olo tikavotenso lero inu 50 + 1 mungayiwonenso ndidyela lanu lija??????
Kamuzu asked Malawians to work hard in the field and never promised free things. The culture of hand outs started with Muluzi. This halfwit president was seen in public dishing out money. We must learn to teach a fisherman to fish. With the fertilizers at K4,495 Malawians can go back in the field to cultivate. Making promises is a culture during campaigns but we have a task as Malawians who pay taxes. The government must ensure the taxes go back to the people through good roads, hospitals, schools etc. When the government starts building roads etc jobs will be created. Mwapiya ndi wa udf/dpp and musamumvera. Look at his face and a pipe. Is this not a ganjaman? Mumasuta musanalembe. Talembankoni za Covid-19 which is affecting people now.
Change does not take place overnight in matters where money is needed especially government.I think the writer is in pain because he is an agent of the losers.You need to come down and stop writing trash.We want to read article z with sense not the rubbish.No country in the world is working on development projects now.They are all focused on dealing with the pandemic so I don’t know how many senses you got not to think in the rightful mind.
Awa athandizeni ndithu alibe zochita and is always looking on the dark side of things. Of 1 million jobs go and ask Chilima and his UTM. You know the damage that udf and dpp caused to this country and it will take long before we see changes. We have a second wave of Covid-19 which more destructive than the first one and we have seen an exponential rise in the number of cases including deaths. Ndiye wina ali busy trying to critisize the president. Wait until 2075 for another government which will not be dpp.
Olemba nkhaniyi angokhala kapolo wa umphawi, nkhsni ya ma promises mwayiphonya wawa. zimene inu mukufuna mkuti Boma lizikupatsani za ulele. in one of his promises, did he once mentioned the coming of corona how is going to handle it? how much is the Government using just towards the Corona Virus chisuru iwe?
Have we Malawians seen or read the CVs of All Politicians and Ministers Elected by Malawians
If that could have been done we Malawians could have known who is capable of Doing What?
Rather Wasting Tax Payers Money and Time?
It’s not the cabinet minister who plans.each ministry has specialist that do the job.
Exactly. We have priorities as a government not just promises. One side of development is minimising corruption.
U are stupit mapwiya.With t his pandemic, containmen of covid is a priority at all cost. Do u think things cam move the way people were hoping when voting Tonse into govt? Even developed countries, all sectors of economy are struggling, there is job losses worldwide. Afterall are u saying of all the compaign promises made , in tgh e past 7 months none have been achieved? Moreover, you have to know that compaign is for 60 months meaning things have to be done in phases. Do u think promises that require expenditure can be put all in one financial year budget? I think you are just a mere journalist some of these things you cant get them right. If you write what you have written in 30 to 40 months,, then you will have a good point.With this pandemic 1million job is a mon starter, people are actually retreanched, not only in Malawi mind u.
Would you have said the same if DPP or Any other party was in power? Would you have accepted that covid needed serious approach to be contained. The fact of the matter is tonse has failed. Our passive ness and lack or will and acceptance is out main challenge as a nation we love to watch as things are getting out hand slowly that’s what happened when DPP was in power. We were just watching. Time is now we don’t have to wait for 4 years to judge a failing system of running Government. TONSE Got wake up.
fertilizer wotchipa siudamuone? Ndiye ufuna zonse zichitike within 7months?
Failed government. They could have prevented the second wave by containing it the people they imported from South Africa at the border but nay they let them in and start fighting fires when the situation was out of hand. They knew that the country does not have sufficient resources to contain the epidemic if unpatriotic Malawians who go to South Africa are repatriated with new Covid-19 variant instead of riches they thought can be obtained on South African streets. Failed government failed president who go on radio to demand accountability when he could summoned the people he gave money to and ask them to bring reports of expenditure. He did not give out the money publicly in the first place. Totally incompetent person with no clue of what he is doing.
Let’s just go back alittle bit in 2014 to 2017 after the new government found no money and donors pull out due to cashgate I and 2015 to 2017 seasons with drought and floods in most parts of Malawi and yet Peter delivered some other development and economy was improved with 5 -6 years with the sixth with demos and still the Man delivered he never has excuses .
Rubbish
You are right in 6 yrs time not 7 months. apo mwaonetsa kusaganiza kwanu.
Chili kunzako umati chigwire nyangayo. God bless Malawi
Quite a lot has changed. Chakwera has tasted the pie, the pie is so sweet that sharing it with others is not possible. Or should we assume Chilima has chosen to fold his arms, letting his boss decide without his input? Here, the best answer can be sourced from the two who at that material time held hands and made those pronouncements courageously and confidently in front of all sorts of cameramen, not knowing that the doing part is what matters in life.
Chakwera has miserably failed to impress, ending up blabbering like a drunken master, with very incoherent speeches as it were. All having been said and done, are the electorates seeing the aftermath of casting votes based on hatred and myopic decisions? Unfortunately, these guys are there for the next 4 or so years. By the time they bid farewell, Malawi will be in a despicable tattered state. I can foresee that a lot of the current administrators going to the gutter to answer embezzlement charges. What we are seeing them doing to others is just the tip of the iceberg. The country is being run like a personal estate that if bankruptcy happens, it will only affect him and his family. But this is a country we are talking about here whose stakeholders include every bonafide Malawian citizenry. Answers will surely be required at that appropriate time.
I would not expect a President to approve a leave application of a Cabinet Minister in the midst of the pandemic. Does the President want his Ministers to perform to the expectation of Malawians or to his expectation? I am so disturbed by this sad news that he allowed Kanyasho to go on holiday in the US. What a joke it is. We are yet to see what action the President will take against her.
Read between the lines kuwumamutu.the minister came to the US in December when malawi wasn’t a hot spot with covid-19 so sanje chepetsani
January people were perishing. Why not return
Leave our president alone please iwe cadet usamataye nthawi ndikunena za mnyumba mwa eni, zokani chipani ndi linya kuti mwina chikhaleko zaka ziwiri
Musaiwale kuti muli ku opposition
Nyoooo!!! Mulira musanati
Mbuzi ya munthu kaya iyi. Yatitengera a Malawi ku Ntuso. Tiyeni tichingochita stay at home wina asapitenso ku Ntchito kupatula a Chipatala okha. Tikanamapanga ma Demo koma tikhala ngati mbuli ngati iwowo. A chite step down . Koma Army yanthunso ndiye kaya. Pangani cupu kaya. Mukuona ndithu kuti zithu sizikuyenda muli chete. Achoke nthawi yake yantha basi. Masiku ano sitikufuna tidzitchedwetsa kudikira ku court yi. Wavina mbwenu wanyake. Awa sakukwanotsa bodza lokha lokha. Nchifukwa chake u Chairman wa OAU wawasepha Ramaphosa anangoona kuti aaaa awa ndi nyambalo yeni yeni aononga Africa tingopatsa Chitsekedi wa ku Congo. Koma anali atapupuluma kubwera nthawi ya lockdown osangopanga zooom nchiani anangoononga ndalama za misonkho basi. Tikuyang’anira muvi utilowe maso ndithu.
Kaduka nsanje
The president must engage me as a recruitment analyst, I am capable of finding 300000 seasonal jobs to start with the rest will be easier, he must walk the talk.
I like your way of writing. The stories are just super. Reminds me some years back when agogo would tell stories with life lessons. Keep it up Mapwiya Mulupale. On the other hand, tinabetsa vote. I don’t see Malawi getting to Canaan.
Just how is Chilima an expert in economic management and development. All his jobs have been to do with marketing. He is an expert at marketing. Not development. But he is experienced or wise enough to manage. But he is not an expert.
Secondly he is minister of economic planning so he is already in charge of planning to create 1 million jobs. He is head of public sector reforms he can create jobs there. He can meet parastatals and map ways on how with his reforms each can create jobs. So this article does not have a point except to tell us the two stories.
Honestly the Tonse Alliance was formed out of bitterness without a proper roadmap for steering this country forward. The problem of being power hungry when you are clueless.
I digress, actually the bigger problem is the incompetent all talk talk Chilima. He failed Apm he is failing here also. One needs not to be scolded to perform. Anakakhala dolo he could have been the stand out performer in this cabinet from the word go. Like Bingu said ntchito zamanja ako zimakuchitila umboni. All I see is a pompous guy, holding too many meetings with no tangible output.Even ma reform ankakambidwa aja, what changed? Chakwera is a preacher osanama I expected more from Chilima.
isindikuvetsa your argument. everyone knows kuti chilima is holding top ministerial position in govt. we also knows kuti COVD19 has distrupted lots of other countries economic activities[including developed ones] so don’t blame chakwera for that. komaso zomati this one is an expert, a professor, or katakwe etc zinatha zimenezo, we don’t belive in papers, we believe in achievements. we have seen professors at law bleaking the laws, professors in economics emplemating stupid economic policies that brought more economic harm than before. zomanamizana zinatha, amalawi akupenya sopano
The problem is if he allows Chilima to run the affairs he risks being reduced to a figurehead. But this is about Malawi which is bigger than individuals. His legacy will depend on what was achieved for Malawi. How? Matters less. He should swallow his pride and ego and realize that everyone has a role to play. He as a leader his responsibility is bring together the best and the brightest of this land to take care of all the problems we have. He has understand the issues and weigh the advise given and come up with the best decisions for this country. That’s his job.
This is like war time all efforts are going towards combating the virus if developed countries are also suspending their already planned projects ndiye Malawi angatani dzuko lodalira kupemphetsa .It’s not business as usual .Most economies are at a standstill in the USA a developed country people are queuing for free food, people have no money to pay rentals, people are retrenched, so many homeless people in the streets.This is not time for politics we don’t eat politics.
So Mapwiya Mulupale would rather see Chakwera priotise on fulfiling campaighn promises and let people die of COVID19
Lemba mmene ungalembere ukhaula chakwera akulamula mpaka 2030
Guys, the issue here is not about kulamula, it’s about delivering on what was promised.
Yes, he can rule us up to 2030, but what matters is will Malawi as a country move?
Forget about kulamula, focus on delivery – this is our only country as Malawians
This man will make history. Atsitsidwa bus 2025 isanafike. Kwatalika
Whether one likes it or not, Chakwera and Chilima with their Ndekha alliance have failed decimally. No debate or discuss, let us call a spade, a spade. It is not surprising to see this. These are bandits, thieves, robbers and the list goes on and on. This is chaos at its best.
Tiyeninazoni zikumveka
kodi m’busa amakhala president? Kodi simukudziwa zinachititka ku Zimbabwe m’busa woyamba kukhala prine minister anali Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa? Ha! analamulira 6 months. Zimbabwe inayaka moto mpaka anatula pansi udindo. Kunabwera Rev. Canaan Banana naye adagwetsa boma pansi mbali zonse ndipamene pamabwera sekuru Mugabe kuchokera mutchire.Mugabe adasonkhanitsa Rev.Bishop Muzorewa, Canaan Banana ndi Rev. Nebaningi Sithole kuti avomeleze kuti iwo ndi anthu a baibulo apo ayi akangowina azathana nawo.Apa azibusa onse anasiya ndale ku Zimbabwe.Abale pali history yambiri yoti ubusa suyendelana ndi ndale ndipo amene ali abusa koma amachita ndale siabusa chifukwa spiritually, there are two spiritual worlds and leadership is controlled by the spiritual world unless the leader accepts one of the spiritual worlds if not it is not possible for a leader to be a politician and in the spiritual world to be accepted by one of the more influencial worlds. Kupanda kuvomeleza the more influencial world which is sinful a leader’s decision affects the people negatively.Apa pafunika kuwerenga mabuku a witchcraft and medicine, leadership and the spiritual world, politics and religion,diseases and religion