‘Age and experience are not the same’
People’s Party (PP) presidential running mate, Sosten Gwengwe, speaks about his vision for the country and what he has in store for the Malawi nation, should he become vice-president on May 20, in this interview with our reporter Boniface Phiri.
Q.
Congratulations on your appointment as President Joyce Banda’s running mate in the coming elections.
A.
Thank you.
Q. When did you know about your appointment as the President’s running mate?
A.
About a week before the announcement.
Q. But speculation is rife that President Banda has actually been grooming you for this role for a long time?
A
.The President, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda is very good at giving all of us a chance. She has promoted many of us who started out as deputy ministers.
Q.You seem to be President Banda’s favoured minister; what makes you click with the President?
A.
It’s but an illusion to think that the President favours one minister over another.
Q.Why do you think President Banda picked you?
A.
The President wants to show that the youth in this country are not leaders of tomorrow, but leaders of today. The President wants a young person in the presidency to champion the cause for the youth—an ambassador for fellow youth.
Q. Do you, personally, think that you are presidential material?
A.
God chooses leaders.
Q.Some people doubt your political experience. In the event that PP wins the election and somewhere along the on the way the President becomes incapacitated or even dies, how do you convince Malawians that you can hold the mantle?
A.As long as 20 years’ experience remains a condition, the young people of this country will never get into high positions. We need a generation transition and the best is to take the youth along. The two years that I have been in Cabinet make me more experienced on matters of State than some who have never been in Cabinet let alone Parliament. Age and experience are not one and the same.
Q. Ever since you were picked as PP’s presidential running mate, have you spoken to your predecessor, the current Vice-President Khumbo Kachali? How is your relationship like?
A.
No comment
Q. Who is Sosten Gwengwe?
A.
Sosten Gwengwe is a CIMA Chartered Accountant. He possesses an MBA (Finance) from Oxford Brookes University, UK and is an Accountancy graduate from the Malawi Polytechnic. He has been a Cabinet minister for the past two years. Gwengwe is married to Enless and have two boys.
Q. What is your vision for the country?
A.
There are three things that that must be done urgently. Firstly, we need to address the issue of inequality among our people. The gap between the rich and poor as measured by the Gini Coefficient is getting wider. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Our per capita income is the smallest in the region. We are ranked together as one of the poorest nations with countries that have been ravaged by wars. We need to directly intervene through social welfare transfers, creation of decent jobs and private sector development in order to create a vibrant middle class. We should deal with gender and economic inequality. We should avoid creating a class of perpetual losers in the society. Coincidentally, equity is one of the People’s Party pillars.
Secondly, we need to embark on the public sector reform. Civil service must be professional and efficient. Unless we improve on public service delivery, our education and health services will be substandard. Doing business will be hard. An efficient civil service whose perks and promotion are tied to performance can reduce red tape.
Thirdly, we need to have a better and efficient use of our natural resources. Our prosperity will come from the abundance of our natural and human resources. We have a lot of mineral resources which can be a source of energy like coal and abundant water that we have. We have minerals, oil and gas and the possibilities are endless. Above all, we have a health, hard working young population.
Q. What difference are you bringing to the Malawian political landscape in as far as the presidential race is concerned, considering your little experience?
A.
I am a young man who is clean, fresh, morally upright and full of honesty and integrity. Perhaps Malawi politics needs a breath of freshness and that’s what I bring. I bring the youth perspective to the presidency. I will be the first 37 year old vice-president and this should encourage the many brilliant young minds in Malawi to join politics.
