Vice-President Saulos Chilima and Minister of Local Government, Culture and National Unity Richard Chimwendo Banda yesterday took advantage of the Martyr’s Day commemoration in Nkhata Bay to urge Malawians to be proactive.

Chilima urged the citizenry to always stand up for the truth, remain united, spread love and take to task duty-bearers who thwart development work.

He said several projects passed in Parliament aimed at ending hunger such as the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) will be in vain if the laissez-faire attitude and laziness continues among duty-bearers.

Chilima and his wife Mary lay their wreaths

He, therefore, challenged the citizenry that the forebearers had a vision for Malawi, and this generation has a duty to run with that vision by shaping and reshaping it into the distant future.

Said Chilima: “Whether legislators pass the budget at Parliament, and Cabinet approves the AIP on beneficiaries, and our security agencies protect the inputs, know that the President cannot be carrying those bags to all parts of the country.

He said it was exercise in futility of people in government offices, who are supposed to implement projects, to remain lazy and detached, stressing that all lazy people have to pave the way for others.

“Is it correct that each year we should be talking about same challenges like hunger? And if leaders talk about hunger, let’s not smile at them, it requires that they do something about it,” he said.

On his part, Chimwendo Banda said the selfless spirit of martyrs challenges the current crop of leaders to be hard-working and also called on Malawians to remain positive by appreciating what is being done, rather than remaining negative.

He also bemoaned the tendency of vendors buying maize from Admarc and scrambling for inputs under AIP, saying, as far as that tendency continues, it will be difficult for people to benefit from such initiatives

Speaking earlier, Senior Chief Mkumbira shielded government for taking over organisation of the event, but insisted that members of the bereaved families want to meet President Lazarus Chakwera.

He also lamented that people in Nkhata Bay are facing serious hunger but Admarc depots do not have the staple grain.

James Thawe, a representative of the bereaved families, asked government to take care of the martyrs’ grave site.

The event was held under the theme: ‘Resilience, Tenacing and Fortitude of our Heroes. A generational motivation in attaining the Malawi we want.”

March 3 was set aside by Malawi’s founding president Ngwazi Hastings Kamuzu Banda in 1974 to remember the martyrs.

Other dignitaries at the event yesterday included former vice- president Khumbo Kachali, Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani-Hara, Minister of Defence Harry Mkandawire and Dean of Diplomatic Corps Nancy Saungweme.

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