MESSAGE OF GOODWILL

TO
MALAWIANS ABROAD
BY
HIS EXCELLENCY PROF. ARTHUR PETER MUTHARIKA,
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI,
ON
THE OCCASION COMMEMORATING GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY OF
MALAWIS INDEPENDENCE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation
Lilongwe 3
6
th
July, 201
My fell! M"l"!#"$% !&e'e(e' y) "'e
Today is a memorable day in the history of our country. It is a milestone
that we have clocked fifty (50) years since the attainment of our
independence, and for this reason, I congratulate you all.
The past fifty (50) years have been a long winding road, teaching us
great lessons and at the same time, making great strides and
achievements. t the time of our independence in !"#$, %ate &r.
'astings (amu)u *anda, +ather and +ounder of the nation, laid the solid
foundation that this country rests upon today and instilled in us the spirit
of hard work and unity. ,e immediately embraced one-party rule, and
as we continued with our political .ourney, in !""/ under &r. *akili
0ulu)i, we ushered in a new political dispensation of multi-party
democracy. It gives me immense pleasure that our democracy is fast
maturing, and that we are a good e1ample to other countries in the
region and beyond. In the twenty (20) years of our democracy, we have
successfully conducted five (5) elections, all of which have been
unanimously declared free, fair, peaceful, transparent and credible.
long the way, between 2005 and 200", 0alawi achieved food security,
thanks to sound agriculture policies of %ate 3rof. *ingu wa 0utharika
administration. &uring this period, 0alawi could not only feed itself,
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but had enough food reserves to serve other countries in the region. ,e
also recall with pride, that it was during this same period, when 0alawi
witnessed the highest economic growth and stability.
C)$*'y+e$ "$, !+e$,
I take it as no mean achievement that in the first fifty (50) years of our
independence, 0alawians have had a female 3resident, &r. 4oyce *anda.
,e commend the %ate 3rof. *ingu wa 0utharika for having taken the
initiative and appointed her as the first ever female 5ice 3resident for
our country. ,e will, therefore, go down in history as the first country in
the 6&7 and second on the whole frican continent, to have had a
female president. This is 8walking the talk9 of ensuring gender e:uality
and women empowerment that is also one the ;< 0illennium
&evelopment =oals.
bove all, %adies and =entlemen, in the fifty years 0alawians have
proved themselves to the international community that we are a peace-
loving, warm and friendly people, and no wonder we are referred to as
the ,arm 'eart of frica. ,e transact our political business amicably
and diplomatically, and good neighbourliness is an important tenet of
our foreign policy.
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,e have also demonstrated to the whole world that we are a peace
loving nation by successfully holding in 0ay, 20!$ the Tripartite
>lections, which despite logistical problems was acknowledged as free,
fair, and credible.
My fell! M"l"!#"$%,
=oing forward, let us embark on the ne1t fifty (50) years with renewed
vigour and commitment to hard work, ethics, peace and unity for our
country9s sustainable development. In *iblical terms, the number 50
symboli)es deliverance or freedom from a burden. %et us, therefore,
.oin hands and have one common purpose of building our nation and
lifting ourselves from poverty, which is by far our nation9s greatest
enemy today. s a start, I have appointed a lean 7abinet that can be
sustainable considering the level of our economy. 0y administration is
also embarking on the civil and public sector reform, to ensure
efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. This, coupled with
sound economic policies that we will soon be implementing, will
translate into prosperity and tangible development that we all are eager
to e1perience.
,e count on your support in taking our country on a development path.
I am aware that most of you have not effectively contributed to this
noble agenda in the past, partly due to restrictive policies that we back
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home implement. I would like to assure you that my =overnment has
created a conducive environment to enable you play your part in the
socio-economic development of the country, through your remittances,
investments and skills transfer. I encourage a spirit of patriotism from
you our bretheren, so that as you live in the &iaspora, your home
country 0alawi should feature highly at the back of your mind.
?nce again, congratulations, and I wish you all =od9s blessings as we
commemorate our =olden Independence anniversary.
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