Open letter to Chakwera
Dear His Excellency,
I hope this letter finds you and Vice-President Saulos Chilima busy drafting your first 100 days’ plans for a new Malawi.
Congratulations on your triumph in the fresh presidential election. It’s an honour.
The country has been on standstill for over a year and it requires numerous repairs to ensure the government machinery serves Malawians at all levels.
It is time to restore the rule of law, building national unity, reviving the economy and ending hunger.
As a citizen and a professional, I have the following tips for you:
1. The Vice-President must be your trusted adviser, not your enemy.
Form an unbreakable bond as your leadership brings together two parties with hidden egos and ambitions. Some Malawi Congress Party (MCP) zealots will do anything to have your ear just as some UTM Party members are ready to endorse anything they believe Chilima supports.
If not handled properly, they will split you from your Vice-President in no time.
2. Malawi is an agricultural economy and one of the promises was affordable fertilisers worth K4 995. Fertiliser is key to reducing hunger and poverty.
I suggest you immediately appoint an expert minister to reform the Ministry of Agriculture, identify commercial crops and farms and support rural Malawians to yield more.
We cannot, in this era, be ploughing our fields with a hoe. This is a joke that is not funny anymore.
Let us introduce farming implements and tractors for better economy and food security.
3. Sir, the statutory corporations are not serving the country effectively.
Even Admarc has lost its mandate to private grain traders and it now exploits poor Malawians.
The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) serves individuals’ interests. We pay a lot of taxes, but there is nothing to show for it.
Our roads, school and health facilities are a joke.
The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) distributes blackouts. We are begging for power as if it is free.
The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation remains unprofessional. They have no integrity and needs urgent restructuring.
Corruption is rampant in these corporations.
4. Sir, our public hospitals are killing people. Many people, who would be here celebrating your presidency, have died of treatable conditions in government health facilities grappling with inadequate funding, drugs, staff and equipment.
There are huge staff vacancies as health workers trained on government bill are busy in private practice and abroad. Corruption is rampant.
Fix the healthcare system.
5. Sir, there are five critical ministries that you need special leadership for quick and effective economic recovery.
These are ministries responsible for finance; agriculture, homeland security, health and education.
Their leadership needs support and yearly targets. They must form medium-term strategic plans in line with the national vision.
6. Sir, Malawians have trusted you to build a better Malawi for our children. Malawi will be there even after your tenure.
Therefore, start training new leaders, including Chilima, to take over.
One problem in both the private and public sectors is the lack of succession planning.
In a democratic system like ours, anyone can be elected as a president. However, effective leaders or presidents are prepared over a while.
For example, your four predecessors have all been accidental presidents who were not prepared to lead this country.
We must learn from this as a country.
7. Sir, the Northern Region has had many empty promises from previous administrations.
For example, Peter Mutharika’s promises to construct Mombera University, Mzuzu Airport, Jenda-Edingeni Road did not bear any fruit.
Share the development budget equally for all regions. It might be a good idea to appoint a minister responsible for each region.
The atrocities created by the quota system of selecting learners to secondary schools and universities can be cured if we open enough schools countrywide.
I wish you the best as you lead a new Malawi. I stand ready to support you.
God bless Malawi.
