Fellow Citizens,
I know you are anxious to hear an announcement of the new cabinet. In part, this is because I myself gave you the expectation to hear this announcement no later than my inauguration on July 6. But on second thought, Dr. Chilima and I decided to subject the list to another battery of scrutiny in order to be doubly sure that we are offering Malawians a well-balanced team of high-performing servant leaders who will bring forth the fruits of our Tonse Philosophy. As such, I thank you for your patience with this rigorous process and beg your pardon for the necessary delay, though I will be announcing the cabinet any day now.
Having promised to form a cabinet of no more than 30 members, of which no less than 12 are to be women, the number of qualified people under consideration exceeds the number of cabinet portfolios. For this reason, the task requires considerable thought and prayer on our part and will require understanding and trust on yours.
What is certain is that we will still need the remarkable men and women who end up not getting a cabinet appointment this time around to be put to good use elsewhere in the service of Malawians. This is because the work of draining the swamp, clearing the rubble, overhauling the rotten systems of the state, and building new systems cannot be the preserve of Cabinet Ministers alone.
In the meantime, we have been attending to other matters of state on your behalf over the last seven days. Below are some of the key deliverables that I am pleased to report to you bwanas and donas:
1. Ordered a freeze on high risk government tenders and contracts being awarded without due diligence, pending a review of both the bidding process and the contents of the bids.
2. Met with the plenipotentiaries of the Governments of China 🇨🇳, USA 🇺🇸, and
Great Britain 🇬🇧 to begin discussions on our bilateral relations within the context of our unique Tonse foreign policy prioritizing development, production, trade, and governance institutions over consumption and aid.
3. Engaged Heads of Parastatals, Heads of Banks, Foreign Investors, and Captains of Industry to begin orienting them to the implications and opportunities of the Tonse economic policy of Prospering Together.
4. Commenced an audit of multiple nation-building projects that have long been frustrated by beaurocracy and corruption, such as the installation of an oxygen plant at KCH to assist in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, which has been stuck in a warehouse since 2016 and led to the needless wastage of 2 million dollars on unsustainable bills under the previous Administration.
5. Engaged the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 to raise the level of our collective action, resources, and accountability in our fight against the spreading pandemic, leading to my decision to cancel Independence Day Celebrations at Bingu National Stadium.
6. Spoke to my brother, President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, as part of my quest to forge strategic partnerships towards the strengthening of Capable Democratic Developmental States across the Great Rift Valley to leverage the bounties of our natural and human resources for the shared prosperity of our peoples.
7. Delivered my inaugural address at a colorful ceremony at Kamuzu Barracks, setting out the pillars and values of the Tonse Philosophy through which we secured electoral victory together and by which we will lay the foundation of a new era of shared economic liberation together. On this occasion, I also had the inestimable and humbling privilege of inspecting the military guard and receiving the Sword of Command in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Defense Forces.
At Your Service,
Lazarus M. Chakwera
NB: Keep Yourself & Others Covid-Free