Preamble
It
is with great pleasure, joy, and humility that I stand before you at the
auspicious occasion of the Malawi Congress Party Convention. It is a great joy
because of party the might Malawi Congress Party has just seen a smooth and
peaceful transition of power from the old new generation. It is with humility,
because all Malawians have been waiting for this day and it has indeed come.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would be failing my duty if I don’t mention and recognise
the achievements made by Rt. Hon. JZU Tembo in making sure that this convention
takes and becomes a success. The way the Party has conducted this convention is
a true indication and sign of maturity of intra-party democracy under the
leadership of Rt. Hon. JZU. Tembo. My appreciation also goes to for National
Executive Committee (NEC)
Distinguished
delegates, ladies, and gentlemen, let me also take time to thank the organizing
committee under the leadership of Hon. Lombola for working tirelessly for the
realization of this important and well organized convention.
I
would like to thank the contestants for all the positions that were open for
competition in the party. I thank all the candidates for sticking to democratic
principles and values in this competition. All candidates have been democratic
in the way they conducted their campaign, going through an electoral process
and accepting the outcome of the election. This
must be commended. All of us, we are a family of the mighty Malawi congress
Party. For us to be strong and succeed to get into government as this is our
main goal, we need the contribution of everybody whether in an elected or
non-elected position-Let us work together as a team. Together, we will build
the Malawi nation.
I
would like in a special way to thank all the delegates for making sure that
this convention is a success. I understand that some of the delegates you had
preferred candidates who have made it while some of you, had your preferred
candidates who have not made it BUT this Ladies& Gentlemen should not
divide us-We are all one family. In a democracy, some win and some lose. What
matters most is that the process of this convention and election has been free
and fair.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, this convention is historical because it
strengthens the Malawi Congress Party to make it a beacon of hope for the
nation. Since this is a political gathering, let me start by explaining our
shared vision for our might MCP.
Our shared vision for
the Party
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen; the contribution of the MCP to the politics
and development of this country cannot be overemphasized. MCP, as I have said
in my previous meetings with delegates, is a party with unique history in four
dimensions. First, it is the party that fought for the freedom of this country
against colonialists. It is therefore a party with liberation ideology and with
that we are going to liberate Malawi again from the agonies of poverty and
underdevelopment; Second, MCP is the party that laid foundations of our
economic and social development through huge investment in agriculture,
education, health, infrastructure, cultural and youth development. Third, MCP
is one of the few nationalist parties in Africa to have survived 20 years in
opposition without going into political extinction. Fourth, MCP is more
institutionalized than other parties in Malawi. It has viable structures in
every corner of this country.
Current status of the
MCP
Ladies
and Gentlemen, MCP is the strongest Political Party in this country and we give
credit to the leadership under Rt. Hon. JZU Tembo for keeping the Party intact
since getting out of power in 1994.Nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, over the
past years, the party has gone through a number of challenges but it has stood
the test. We should all thank Rt. Hon. JZU Tembo, and all the MCP leadership
and members for keeping the Party intact. I have a lot to learn from Rt. Hon.
JZU. Tembo.
Ladies
and gentlemen, if it were not for their strong and courageous leadership, this
party would have disintegrated. The MCP leadership under Rt. Hon. Tembo needs
to be applauded.
Transform MCP from
Opposition to Ruling Party
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and Gentlemen, our primary objective should be to transform
the Malawi Congress Party from a leading Party of Opposition in Parliament to a
Ruling Party by winning the Presidency and majority of seats in Parliament. I
have faith that this will happen and I share the same with you. We appreciate
the efforts by the current leadership at all levels for sustaining the party
since getting out of power in 1994. Having gone through four elections, lessons
have been learnt and we need to get informed advice from Rt. Hon. JZU Tembo on
how we can improve. Malawians want change and that change will only come with
the MCP’s victory in the 2014 elections. With this nomination, we shall work
hard to win the Presidency and get more parliamentary seats in the forthcoming
2014 elections. This is the faith we all can share. Change has come and we
shall win the elections. Ladies and gentlemen, the outcome of this convention
entails that democracy has triumphed. We have to join hands and work together
for the party to win in the forth coming elections. I cannot do it alone but we
need joint effort.
Engage with the
membership and recruit new members
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, MCP is the strongest party in this country. Nevertheless,
there is need to do more in engaging party membership at all levels and to
reach out to voters. MCP is a party which stands for Unity, Loyalty, Obedience
and Discipline. We shall endeavor to strengthen these principles into the
political system for the realization of sanity for national development. Ladies
and gentlemen, there are millions of people who love the MCP and these people
are waiting to see the MCP get back to government.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the MCP is the party that has
institutionalized membership. Your presence is an indication that our party has
strong structures across the country. Our members are the vital backbone of our
party – they take our message to the voters during elections, our candidates
come from their ranks and they are the foundation on which the rest of the
Party rests. If we fail to value and respect them, they simply will not
continue to be members and without them the MCP cannot remain a strong force in
Malawi’s political system. The MCP
leadership shall respect the old members and tirelessly work together to
attract and recruit new membership for the party. The future of Malawi’s
politics further depends on how the MCP interacts with the today’s youth. The
MCP shall always project a good image to the youth who are the majority of the
population and voters.
Enhance inclusivity
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and Gentlemen, we shall jointly enhance inclusive leadership
and membership so that the Party’s tentacles spread and yield electoral results
in all regions and districts of this country at all times. We need to unite for
the common good. The MCP leadership shall truly embrace important leaders from
other regions and pay attention to the tribal pluralism that exists across all
regions in the country. MCP is a national party and that is why we have
delegates from every districts.
Distinguished,
delegates, ladies and Gentlemen; the MCP shall strengthen its party structures
to ensure intra-party democracy in making of party decisions. We must, as a
Party, be willing to act as facilitators by helping the membership to find the
best structures and models that work for them. The most visible public face of
the Party is organizational structure and local leadership. The owners of the
MCP are the people under the leadership of our distinguished chairmen, Women’s
league, and the Youth league. If as leaders we fail to empower and encourage
members, we are failing to relate to so many voters. MCP shall encourage health
debate over issues within the confines of party structures.
Institutionalized
Party Administrative system
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and Gentlemen, administrative system is the hub of any
political party. We thank the Former President, Rt. Hon. JZU Tembo, for keeping
structures of the party intact. Every MCP member should be involved in work to
mobilize resources for the strengthening of the Party’s secretariat and
administrative services at national, regional and district offices. Democracy
consolidation and development can never be meaningfully realized if the Party
system is weak, fragmentated, and characterized by policy and ideological
bankruptcy. I would like to emphasize that MCP is an institutionalized and we
have the ability to attract the electorates if we can better articulate and
present our policies to them. We shall revitalize and refurbish the
infrastructure of the MCP in all regions and districts.
Distinguished,
ladies and gentlemen, the manner in which we manage government affairs is a
reflection of our management of party affairs. Ladies and gentlemen, we should
thank the leadership of Rt. Hon. Tembo for taking care of the party resources
which include the buildings the party has across the country. It is with this
faith that MCP leaders at national, regional, district, constituency, area, and
branch levels that all of us should work together to honour our former leaders
who have worked so hard to sustain the party.
Policy based politics
Delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen, now I turn to the issues of party conventions. The idea
that the policies of the government are affected by the policies of the parties
that comprise them is at the heart of the theory of representative democracy
such that if one does not relate to the other, then it is unclear how elections
can have much impact on what governments do. The policy priorities of
governments in modern democracies reflect the formal programs presented by
competing parties during elections and that this congruence between promise and
performance is at the heart of democracy. Electing politicians or parties that
have no policy agenda is in a way electing a government that has totally no
agenda. We should not expect a miracle of harvesting a mango fruit from an
Orange tree. Government is about Public Policy and Governments are run by
Political Parties. MCP shall endeavor to provide policy alternatives that are
generated through resolutions that originate from Party members at the
grassroots.
Ladies
and Gentlemen, as MCP, we would like to emphasize the need for democratic and
institutionalized party system. This is good for national politics and at the
same time the development of this country. Our development problem as a nation
is rooted in the kind of politics we practice and we need to change this. This
is why we are calling for more institutionalized and accountable political
party.
Malawi’s developmental
agenda
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, let me now turn my focus to the agenda for
national development. How do Malawians envisage their future? What kind of
society do they want to become? How can they construct a united and inclusive
Malawians identity? What are the transformations needed to emerge from a deeply
unsatisfactory social and economic situation? These are the main questions that
which the MCP would like to address.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, our nation is facing a number of challenges
such as food shortages and perpetual hunger, poor economic outlook, tribalism
and challenges to national unity, endemic corruption and poor adherence to rule
of law, and poor service delivery by responsible duty bearers. These are the
issues our party is geared to deal with.
Distinguished
delegates, there is no doubt that good party politics leads to good governance
and perfect management of State and government affairs. It is with this hope
that we can reorganize and strengthen the MCP in order for the Party to unleash
its potential. Fellow Malawians, we should no longer base our political success
on strong personalities, regionalism, tribalism, clientelism, and politics of
patronage. These factors have failed to give us development in the past. Political
success and survival ought not be accidental or depend on one’s ability and
craftiness in the control of the chains of rent-seeking, clientelism and
patronage.
Distinguished
delegates, Ladies and gentlemen, MCP has the ability to offer a new vision for
Malawi and we can jointly agree to cherish and build on foundation laid down by
the founding fathers and mothers of our nation at independence. We have a
chance to open a new chapter in Malawi’s politics. Malawi’s problem is
politics. We need to build and strengthen institutions for development. Once we
assure Malawian’s that we can do good politics then we shall give them hope for
progress in development.
Distinguished
delegates, the National Development Agenda requires collaboration between all
sections of society and effective leadership by government. In a society with
deep social and economic divisions, neither social nor economic transformation
is possible without a capable, viable and functioning state. Malawi needs a
state that provides institutions and infrastructure that enable the economy and
society to operate. Currently, there is urgent need for critical interventions
to build a state capable of realizing national development; otherwise the whole
talk of development is fallacious.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, enough is enough and as a nation we need to
wake up from deep slumber. This country is the only one we have got and we need
to start practicing politics of development. Broadly, the following issues are
very fundamental;
·
Malawi needs to build a state that
is capable of playing a developmental and transformative role. This entails
reconstruction of the nation and its social capital anchored on good
governance, underpinned by a capable state.
·
The public service needs to be
immersed in the development agenda but insulated from undue political
interference.
·
Public services at all levels must
have the authority, experience and support they need to do their jobs. It will
require a comprehensive human resources development, encompassing education,
health, and ICT skills aimed at public sector, private sector and civil
society. This will require a more long-term approach to skills development.
·
Improving relations between
national, and local government requires a proactive approach to resolving
coordination problems.
·
The governance structures for
state-owned enterprises (SOEs)/Parastals should be simplified to ensure clear
lines of accountability and stable leadership.
·
Transformation of agriculture into a
productive, high value, market oriented sector, with forward linkages to other
sectors.
·
Development of an efficient private
sector spearheaded by competitiveness and entrepreneurship.
·
Infrastructural development,
entailing improved transport links, energy and water supplies and ICT networks;
What are the
challenges?
First,
the main challenge has been unevenness in capacity that leads to uneven
performance in government. This is caused by a complex set of factors,
including tensions in the political-administrative interface, instability of
the administrative leadership, skills deficits, the erosion of accountability
and authority, poor organizational design and low staff morale.
Second,
ladies and gentlemen, is that; short
term planning does not help. We need long term planning. Development planning
should not be determined by tenure of political office. That’s where we go
wrong. We need to look into the future of our grandchildren. There have
been many individual, state and presidential initiatives, but there is a
tendency to jump from one quick fix or policy fad to the next. These frequent
changes have created instability in organizational structures and policy
approaches that further strain limited capacity. The search for a quick fix has
diverted attention from more fundamental priorities for state building and
development. Lack of long term developmental policy framework has led to the
capture of the state by various interest groups both internal and external. The
MCP government shall put mechanism that eliminates state capture by various
groups.
Third,
a deficit in skills and professionalism affects all elements of the public
service. At senior levels, reporting and recruitment structures have allowed
for too much political interference in selecting and managing senior staff. The
result has been unnecessary turbulence in senior posts, which has undermined
the morale of public servants and citizens’ confidence in the government. At
junior levels, there has been insufficient focus on providing stimulating
career paths that ensure production of skills and foster a sense of
professional common purpose. The state needs a clear vision for where the next
generation of public servants will come from and how specialist professional
skills will be reproduced. Weak managerial capacity and lack of leadership
prevent these issues being addressed. Since the advent of multiparty democracy,
there has been no investment in the future generation. The entire education
system is rundown. We need to invest in the future generation for better tomorrow.
Fourth,
Malawi continues to struggle to achieve constructive relations between local,
and central government. A lack of clarity about the division of
responsibilities together with a reluctance to manage the system has created
tension and instability across these spheres of government. There is no
consensus on how this is going to be resolved and there is a lack of leadership
in finding appropriate solutions. These coordination problems are not unique to
Malawi. The issue is how they are dealt with. Holding elections for local
councilors in 2014 is not an end in itself, there is need for political
leadership that is willing to devolve power from the Centre. The MCP has
experience in running the local government system and using the existing legal
framework, the MCP shall ensure its full implementation.
What are the Proposals
for development?
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, to address the twin challenges of poverty and
inequality, the state needs to play a transformative and developmental role.
This requires well-run and effectively coordinated state institutions with
skilled public servants who are committed to the public good and capable of
delivering consistently high quality services, while prioritizing the nation’s
developmental objectives. This will enable people from all sections of society
to have confidence in the government, which in turn will reinforce the state’s
effectiveness.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, Malawi desperately needs a capable and
developmental state: capable in that it has the capacity to formulate and
implement policies that serve the national interest; developmental in that
those policies focus on overcoming the root causes of poverty and inequality,
and building the state’s capacity to fulfill this role.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the MCP’s National Development Agenda shall
highlight the need for a state institutions that are capable of driving the
country’s development. Building state capacity is the most important step to
achieve development, and these steps will be anchored in the democratic tenets
as enshrined in the MCP philosophy.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the MCP will bring about rapid and sustainable
transformation in a country’s economic and/or social conditions through active,
intensive and effective intervention in the structural causes of economic or
social underdevelopment. We shall not simply produce regulations and
legislation but constantly strive to improve the quality of what we do by
building our own capacity and learning from experience.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the MCP shall recognize the importance of
building constructive relations with all sectors of society, while insulating
itself from capture by sectional interests. We shall promote democratic
principles so that the government has sufficient legitimacy to bring about
transformation. We believe that a robust democracy is not just compatible with
building a capable and developmental state; it is an essential prerequisite for
the sort of developmental agenda needed to tackle poverty and inequality. The
experience of other countries shows that this cannot be done overnight.
Measures will have to be strengthened over time and the MCP has the capacity to
do so.
BRIEF SECTORAL
FRAMEWORKS
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, MCP’s development policies are rooted in
agricultural development. I don’t want to take much of your time by detailing
entire policy framework that the MCP envisages for the nation.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, we shall discuss and communicate with each
other in the Party on the finer details of the MCP’s policy framework for the
country touching on economy, education, health, foreign policy,
entrepreneurship and job creation, research, science and technology, and
taxation policy. MCP policy framework shall be forward-looking in all aspects
taking into consideration that we are living in a competitive globalised world.
Suffice to say as a leader of the Malawi Congress Party, it is important that
direction is given as regards overall sectoral policy framework, starting with
agriculture and the economy.
Agriculture
Development
Ladies
and Gentlemen, Malawi is a small, largely rural country, with up to three-quarters of the population living
below $1.25 dollars a day. Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) capita is $310, one of the lowest in the world.
Poverty in Malawi is focused in rural areas
where 85% of the population live.
Over 90% of the poor
are small or medium scale farmers in rural areas,
mainly reliant on rain-fed production, on small plots of land (less than a
hectare) for their food, well-being and income. Women make up 70% of the agricultural labour force. They are far
more likely to be working in the informal (non-wage) sectors which are often
worst hit by disasters and other shocks. This is also true for children in
child headed households and elderly people. Droughts, floods and variable
rainfall result in reduced crop production – the main sources of food and
income for the poor in Malawi.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Why the MCP believes that agriculture will remain the mainstay of the economy
for the foreseeable future?
Agriculture
accounts for about 37% of GDP, and tobacco alone account for more than 65% of
export earnings. Agriculture employs 85% of the country’s workforce. More than
70% of the agriculture labour is provided by women. The MCP recognizes that
poverty in Malawi is focused in rural areas where 85% of the population live.
As such, prioritizing agriculture is only sure way for the Malawi to achieve
inclusive growth, attain food security and reduce poverty.
Therefore,
the MCP endeavors to implement the following medium to long-term strategies to
achieve increased agricultural productivity and food security:
Agricultural
Commercialization
Ladies
and Gentlemen, given the heavy reliance of the economy on agriculture, there is
need to have an aggressive strategy to promote agricultural exports (both
traditional and non-traditional) so as to broaden and deepen the sources of
foreign exchange which is critical to support the current macro-economic policy
framework. MCP believes that Malawi as a nation we ought to emphasize on
becoming a net exporter in the short to medium-term as a sustainable and
dignified way of restoring our macro-economic stability because relying on
donor inflows has its many downsides.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and Gentlemen, the MCP recognizes that what Malawi needs to
do in the medium and long term is to put measures that enable us to raise the
export potential of our agricultural commodities as this has been a long
outstanding structural challenge that we need to address.
Consequently,
distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen MCP believes that as a nation, we
should aim at creating a more productive, internationally competitive and
diversified agricultural sector. This demands an urgent need to address our
supply-side constraints in the sector with a swift, radical and a coordinated
action at different levels by different actors in the Malawian agricultural
value chain.
Farmer organization
system
Farmers’mobilization
for collective production and marketing especially with focus on establishment
of farmer marketing cooperatives through clubs with an agribusiness focus. MCP
has a track record of engaging farmers into clubs as economic units for
agricultural production and access to financing. Organizing farmers into
functioning cooperatives with strong governance structures will strengthen
smallholder farmers’ voice to negotiate for better prices, reduce transactions
costs, and operate at economies of scale.
Contract Farming
Ladies
and Gentlemen, MCP other priority will also be to move rapidly with formation
of well- regulated contract farming (CF) arrangement and cooperatives that shall
be supported by strong legal framework to set clear ground rules and promote
fairness.
Access to financing
through credit system that is linked to structured marketing system.
Delegates,
ladies and gentlemen, we are also mindful of the bottleneck in access of
financial services. The MCP will put more emphasis in providing agriculture
inputs through farmers’ clubs to support the smallholder farmers.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies, and gentlemen, the MCP will also put a priority to support
and revamp estate to boost agricultural commercialization for exports.
Malawians should remember that Malawi in the MCP era was able to produce
enough, exported to Europe and other countries because we were able to produce
the volumes and quality through engagements of estate sector. Estate farming
has to be given adequate attention as this is the only way to produce enough
for the development of Malawi. Our government will spell out a clear policy
framework that would provide an incentive for farmers and other agricultural
value chain players to invest in the sector and promote agro-processing and
value-addition rather than production of primary commodities.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies, and gentlemen, this is why we need to prioritize formation
of land bank managed by people that are experts in this business, the private
sector. What we MCP are proposing is not politics, it about finding a lasting
solution to transform and change the destiny of this nation, this bank shall be
run by experts and will be free from politics. This is a promise to this nation.
Irrigation
Ladies
and Gentlemen, The MCP will prioritise irrigation (supported by technology
transfer systems and mechanisation) as well to ensure increased agricultural
productivity and to cushion the country from climate change related shocks,
especially droughts. Small-scale and large scale irrigation technologies will
be promoted mainly targeting high valued crops. In addition to Government
efforts, we will seek support from our development partners to prioritise
irrigation, especially the infrastructure. Irrigation will help us lengthen
period of production in a single year and help us produce more than a single
crop to maximise our agricultural output.
functional marketing
system: that is structured and aimed at
building confidence of the value chain to all players in the chain.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies, and gentlemen these systems were introduced and were fully
functional in the Malawi Congress Party era but have been eroded over the
period. MCP will make sure that these systems are back on track under my
leadership. Malawi Congress Party will focus on increasing investments towards
commercialization of agriculture to create a robust foundation of our economy
which still hinges on agriculture.
National Authentic
Identification
Distinguished
delegates, ladies, and gentlemen, the MCP believes this country needed a
National Authentic Identification System to be in place as of yesterday.
Contractors in the Contract Farming and commercial banks need confidence that
they will be able to easily trace their borrowers of money or inputs. Also, as
country we need to easily identify our bona fide citizens for accurate
targeting when implementing national programmes This programme might require a
lot of money to roll-out. But it is an important programme that we can no
longer postpone because success of many other plans hinge on this national ID
system.
Health and Population
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, Malawi’s health sector faces a number of
challenges. The MCP shall work with partners for the improvement in health
related goals. Improving health requires a multifaceted or integrated approach
with a combination of preventive, educational and clinical measures. By
bringing these together, the costs of interventions can be minimized and their
effectiveness maximized. The MCP shall seek an integrated by focusing on the
following:
·
Increasing the retention of
qualified health workers through a targeted program for health care workers;
·
Improving working environment for
health personnel;
·
Increasing the availability and
eliminating theft of drug supply;
·
Improving health facilities through
targeted facilities infrastructure (roads, water, health buildings, water,
communication and medical equipment);
·
Improving equipment at health care
facilities, especially maternity services;
·
Improving financial management,
monitoring and supervision of health care facilities; and
·
Providing comprehensive health
services package that include treatment of diseases and infections, awareness
programmes and education through Government and private hospitals.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the MCP recognizes that there is a strong
linkage between issues of population and health as such efforts from these two
fronts complement each other. However, there are other elements of population
that cannot be conclusively addressed by efforts in the health sector alone
because of its broad nature. We shall endeavor to provide accessible,
affordable and comprehensive reproductive health services through informed
choices in order to enable them to attain their reproductive health rights and
goals
Education
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, there is no doubt that our education system is
run down and it requires immediate attention if we are to be serious about
investing into the future generation. If our country is to achieve the twin MDG
targets of universal primary education and gender parity in school enrolments,
a step change in strategy is required. We cannot continue with ‘business as usual’.
Current enrolment growth projections, patterns of repetition, plans for school
construction and increased teacher supply will enable improvements but more
immediate and more drastic action is urgently required.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, our public schools have to be upgraded in
order to become competitive and attractive to all people in our society. Only
this way will we be able to provide equal opportunity to our children
irrespective of their class in society. Current poor standards in our public
schools are dividing our society and only patronised by the poor who cannot
afford private schools. The lower grades of our primary schools have one of the
lowest numeracy and literacy rates in the region.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies and gentlemen, we will also aggressively invest in the
vocational training to absorb and give necessary skills to our youths after
finishing their secondary education. I believe this is the core that will drive
this economy. First, we will need to rehabilitate, refurbish and equip our
existing technical colleges, TVET, with all necessary learning materials. This
is an important area that we will need to partner with our development partners
as it will require huge investment to build the necessary infrastructure and
other learning materials.
Foreign Policy
Delegates,
ladies and gentlemen, International politics has both positive and negative
effects. It can determine the quality of the air we breathe, the water we
drink, the bread we eat, and the quality of imports we get etc. Malawi's
foreign policy shall be centered on maintaining cordial relations with its
neighbors and its Western trading partners. Malawi's fundamental principles of
foreign policy have been fairly consistent since they were first espoused
shortly after independence in 1994. Yet the specific interests, priorities and
emphasis of Malawi's foreign policy have continued to change and evolve in the
context of the domestic and international environment.
The
MCP’s foreign policy shall be anchored on the promotion and protection of the
national interest; the promotion of African integration and support for African
unity; the promotion of international co-operation for the consolidation of
universal peace and mutual respect among all nations and elimination of
discrimination in all its manifestations; respect for international law and
treaty obligations as well as the seeking of settlement of international
disputes by negotiation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and adjudication;
and; the promotion of a just world economic order.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies, and gentlemen, in pursuit of these objectives, the MCP
administration shall identify, as main priorities the maintenance of unity,
peace and security of the country, particularly in the wake of current security
challenges; job and wealth creation for Malawians; the promotion of trade and
investments; promoting the welfare of Malawians both at home and abroad by protecting
their interests. Our foreign policy shall also aim at others are improving the
profile and image of Malawi abroad; enhancing Malawi's representation and
visibility in international organizations.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies, and gentlemen, Malawi's foreign policy will continue to be
dictated by the political and economic programme at home. I should mention that
we should graduate from pursuing foreign policy whose agenda is to entice
developing partners for continued flow of donations. Ladies and gentlemen, that
kind of policy objective is subsistence and should not be abandoned.
Delegates,
ladies and gentlemen, I would like also to mention that our Defense policy
shall form part of the foreign policy. In the wake of current international
terrorism; and various peace keeping missions, it is important that defense
forms a greater part of our foreign policy and the MCP will do just that.
The energy sector
Delegates,
ladies and gentlemen, the energy sector in Malawi involves much more than just
electricity and automotive fuels, though. MCP is aware that our hydropower
potential is under-exploited and as a party we recognize that exploitation of
this source needs to be maximised. Most of our coal reserves are currently
exploited only on an informal basis. We need to explore possibilities in coal
as well. Energy is highlighted as one of the major constraint to growth in
Malawi. For the time being, we should seriously explore all possibilities that
will help solve our energy problems to unlock and spur economic growth. Going
it alone on large generation investments has limitation on accessing public
funding. Therefore, I will promote efforts to access private financing.
Mining sector
Delegates,
ladies, and gentlemen, mining is one of the priority sectors that is needed to
achieve economic growth in Malawi. Mining has potential to overtake
agriculture’s contribution to the economy within the next ten years Speculation
of vast mineral resources including possibility of oil reserves in Lake Malawi.
Delegates,
ladies, and gentlemen, optimism about the mining potential should be tempered
by concerns over the country’s ability to reap the full benefits from these resources.
To attract responsible, long-term investors and deliver jobs and growth, Malawi
must have strong, transparent, and accountable institutions which can regulate
the extractive industry. The common Malawian should benefit from these
investments. We need to invest in strong legislations and mineral policies that
promote transparency and that no individual person (s) benefit from these God
given resources to the Malawi nation at the expense of our people no matter
what their positions are in society as we have observed in recent past.
Delegates,
ladies, and gentlemen, minerals, just like any other resource endowment in this
country, do not only belong to the current generation, but also to the future
generations as well. Government is just a custodian entrusted to manage these
resources on behalf of the people of Malawi. However, since we’ve not asked
permission from the future generation to exploit these resources on their
behalf, we therefore have an obligation to prudently use and maximise our
current welfare without sacrificing the future wellbeing of the generations to
come.
Delegates,
ladies and gentlemen, transparency and accountability in the licensing,
exploration, contracting, extraction, revenue generation, and allocation of
resources from the extractive sector lies at the heart of natural resource
governance. The Malawi Congress Party will not allow to be cursed by its
resources.
Concluding remarks
Ladies
and Gentlemen, let me explain that MCP is not getting into the 2014 election
race thinking it will be easy. We understand the challenges ahead but neither
do we rule out ourselves from success. I would like to also remind one another
that this is just the beginning of the journey and I encourage you that we need
to work hard because as Malawi Congress Party, we will form the next government
in 2014. I am assuring you that Malawi Congress Party will win this coming
general election, come rain, come sunshine.
Ladies
and Gentlemen, I therefore encourage you to take part and also remind people in
your respective political districts to go and register for the forth coming
elections. We also need to go and identify councilors for the respective wards
where we come from so that we field candidates as a party in all our wards and
constituencies.
Distinguished
delegates, ladies, and gentlemen, join me in thanking Rt. Hon. Tembo for his
courageous and wise leadership which has seen our generation being handed over
the Party which is solid and vibrant. Once again, my many thanks organizing
committee and its leadership for making this convention a success. With these
remarks, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your
kind attention.
God Bless You, God
Bless our Nation-Malawi.
