Vice President Saulos Chilima has today departed for South Korea through Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) where he is expected to attend the Korea-African Summit which will be held in Seoul, Korea from 4th to 5th June, 2024.
It has pleased President Lazarus Chakwera to delegate the Vice President to carry out government expeditions built on the existing diplomatic relations between nations.
Chilima off to South Korea for the summit
Chilima’s attendance at the Korea-African Summit highlights the Government of Malawi’s commitment to expand the country’s international bilateral relations as well as exploring avenues for economic growth.
On 30th October, 2023 Malawi and South Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote developmental cooperation in agriculture, education, health sectors, human resources development, climate change and tourism sector among others.
The MoU works to enhance Malawi’s relations with Republic of South Korea in mutual areas including Agriculture, Health, Human Resource Development, Education, Climate Change and Tourism among others.
The Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has expressed concern with remarks made by Member of Parliament(MP) for Lilongwe Mapuyu South, Esther Kathumba proposing that President Lazarus Chakwera should be a life president.
During the launch of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in Lilongwe on Thursday, Kathumba, stressed that she would move Parliament to amend the law in order to make Chakwera the life president for demonstrating transformational leadership.
In a statement,CHRR Executive Director(ED) Michael Kaiyatsa says such sentiments are a threat to constitutional principles and the hardly earned democracy.
Kaiyatsa
According to Kaiyatsa, since 1994 when Malawians voted out one party system in favour of multiparty democracy, the country has made strides to grow her own democracy, therefore, suggesting imposing a lifetime president for them is not only dangerous but also lacking merit in all sense.
Kaiyatsa says, proposing lifetime presidency does not only go against the fundamental principles of democracy, which emphasizes rotation of power, but also has potential of destabilizing the political landscape in the country.
The director has also urged President Chakwera to denounce such pronouncements.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) through its secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka has denounced the pronouncement saying president Chakwera respects the existing laws of the land hence he cannot deliberately rape the constitution.
Mkaka has said, Malawians must understand that the remarks were only made out of excitement of the numerous developments the president is doing but they should not regard this as a position of the party.
In preparation for the upcoming voter registration exercise, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has received the second phase of Election Management Devices (EMDs) with open arms.
A total of 5784 EMDs were delivered through an Emirate flight cargo at Kamuzu International Airport, marking a significant milestone in electoral readiness.
MEC Commissioner Olivia Liwewe announced that 90% of the devices have safely arrived, with only 140 units remaining to complete the consignment.
These modern EMDs are set to replace the Biometric Voter Registration kits utilized during the 2019 and 2020 elections, showcasing a technological leap in the electoral process.
The new devices will play a crucial role in various electoral activities, including voter registration, transfer of voters, inspection of voter registration data, nomination of candidates, and result management.
This development underscores MEC’s commitment to enhancing transparency and efficiency in the electoral process.
Earlier this year, on May 26 and May 28, MEC received an initial batch of 288 devices, setting the stage for a seamless transition to the advanced EMD system.
With these advancements, Malawi is gearing up for a more streamlined and secure electoral experience.
Minister of Lands Deus Gumba has warned that government will continue to demolish any structure built on illegally acquired land in the country.
Gumba made the warning at Chikho Hotel in Mponela, Dowa during a sensitisation meeting with police officers from Lilongwe Units.
The minister said this is one of strong actions President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s administration has put in place to address issues of land grabbing and encroachment in the country.
“My ministry will work closely with the Malawi Police Service to ensure that issues of land grabbing and encroachment are addressed amicably,” said Gumba.
Minister of Lands Hon Deus Gumba
He stressed the importance of citizens complying with the new land laws, particularly the Customary Land Act.
Ministry of Lands Principal Secretary, Devie Chilonga, highlighted the significance of working with the police to effectively address land-related issues.
Commissioner of Police for Central West Division, Emmanuel Soko, assured the minister that police will work diligently and within the bounds of the law to enforce the amended land laws.
Soko issued a stern warning to any law enforcement officers engaged in corrupt practices, stating that they would face legal consequences if found guilty.
“We are going to arrest any police officer involved in any activity of land grabbing and encroachment, as our duty is to uphold the rule of law,” said Soko.
President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera says a key metric of success in implementing the Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) Strategy relies on the youth who are over 50 percent of the country’s population and are the primary beneficiaries of the strategy.
The President made the remarks on Friday during a Presidential Engagement Meeting with members of the National Youth Council of Malawi(NYCM) at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
Chakwera embracing the youths
Said Chakwera:“For the first time in the history of Malawi, a sitting President is hosting young people from across the country as special guests at State House and be accorded the same kind of prestige as we do to other Heads of State.”
The President said he is aware that challenges such as unemployment, limited access to education and youth friendly health services, gender based violence, teenage pregnancies and lack of economic opportunities that youths face affects their participation in the economic, political and social life thereby hindering their new development and contribution to the nation’s economic development.
In response to these challenges, government developed the National Youth Policy 2023 – 2028.
During the launch of the policy six months ago, President Chakwera committed his government’s financial support towards implementation of the policy.
“I wanted to meet you here to demonstrate my commitment to that pledge. In fact, my starting point in demonstrating that commitment was my State of the National Address in Parliament four months ago, in which I announced a number of interventions for young people such as the K500 billion Agcom II and the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF), among others,” he said.
He therefore, urged the youth to be pro-active, patriotic, patient, principled and change makers and partners in the development process of the nation.
On his part, Minister of Youth and Sports, Uchizi Mkandawire, said President Chakwera’s unwavering commitment to engaging the youth and addressing them is a testament to his vision for an inclusive prosperous Malawi driven by its young people as outlined in the Malawi 2063 agenda.
Executive Director for NYCOM, Rex Chapota commended President Chakwera for hosting the Malawi youth leaders for the first time in the history of Malawi.
Vera Mlia Sherrif, who spoke on behalf of the youths, thanked President Chakwera for hosting them at the Palace.
She said, the occasion marks a significant moment in the nation’s history where voices of young people are heard at the highest level of leadership.
Sherrif said, as the largest demographic in the country, the youth in Malawi hold the key to the country’s future prosperity and development hence the need for government and development partners to support them.
She, therefore, urged fellow youths to be pro-active and stand for themselves and prove to the world that they are capable.
