SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY DR. JOYCE BANDA PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI, AND OF THE PEOPLE’S PARTY ON THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE PEOPLE’S PARTY MANIFESTO (2014-2019) ON SUNDAY, 09TH FEBRUARY, 2014 BINGU INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, LILONGWE

Your Excellency, Chief Justice Richard Banda, SC, (Retired);

The Rt Honourable Khumbo Hastings Kachali, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, and Vice President of the People’s
Party, North (Operations);

Hon. Uladi Mussa, MP, Vice President of the People’s Party, Centre (Technical);

Hon. Brown Mpinganjira, Vice President of the People’s Party, South (Administration);

Hon. Paul Maulidi, Acting Secretary General;

Members of the National Executive Committee of the People’s Party;

Members of the Diplomatic Corps here present;

Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen.



Today is a great day for the membership of the People’s Party as we officially confirm our Parliamentary Candidates.



Today is a great day for me as I stand before you all to preside over the official launch of the People’s Party Manifesto for 2014 Elections.



Today is a great day as we are witnessing the beginning of a cross over from the first 50 years of our independence to the next 50 years.



Indeed today is a great day for me because God has placed me in the transit lounge to prepare Malawi to receive the blessings of the next 50 years.



This is why I have established the High Level Development Council to reflect on the past 50 years and coordinate dialogue among Malawians on the aspirations of the next 50 years. Many individuals and organisations have agreed with me on this decision.



Yes, every five years, our country goes to polls to choose a new Government and members of our National Assembly and to demonstrate our nation’s commitment to democratic governance and constitutional order.


And this time, after 14 years, the People’s Party Government will make it possible for our people to exercise their franchise to elect a Local Government, and for the first time to hold Tripartite Elections.




Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the Membership of the People’s Party, I have the privilege of placing before you the People’s Party Election Manifesto, which highlights the policies and progammes we intend to implement after the forthcoming elections.


I do so in all humility, knowing, as you do, how far we have recently come in rescuing our country from the mismanagement and abuses of the past Government.


However, we still have a lot of work to do, in order to turn our country around and create the foundation for a clean and competent Government that meets the aspirations of our people.


As we seek our full term mandate, we are still reminded of the painful past of the previous administration which was characterized by shortages of foreign exchange, fuel, drugs and many other essential services.


We are reminded of poor relations with our development partners and some of our neighbors. We are reminded of poor political and economic governance; of human rights infringements and a slowdown in industrial production. We are reminded of the retrenchments of many workers and closing down of many businesses.


This did not only lead to increased suffering of our people, but also alienated them from the Government that was supposed to serve them.


This, therefore, calls for urgent and fundamental change, which we propose in this Manifesto for the consideration of our people.


In the short time I have been President, we have taken decisive action to heal the country, recover the economy, and build a strong foundation for growth.


We have also taken very far reaching measures in dealing with fraud and corruption including engaging foreign forensic auditors.



These steps represent the beginning of a transformation agenda that the People’s Party is proposing to implement.


A Transformation Agenda that places Integrated Rural Development as a centre-piece of our development agenda. A transformation that seeks to transform our country’s rural and urban areas into vibrant hub’s of agri-business and industrial activity.



A transformation that expands access to social services that meet minimum standards of quality of life regardless of location; that reduces inequality: spatial or gender; and that accelerates progress towards an inclusive community and national development.



Therefore this is a transformation agenda that will get rid of a hoe as an implement of choice; that will get rid of grass thatched house; that will get rid of drinking contaminated water.



Through this transformation I see the establishment of the Malawi Agricultural Transformation Agency to catalyse structural reforms and sustainable change in the agriculture sector. I see the establishment of an Agricultural Bank. I see our farming families being mobilized into farm clubs and cooperatives. I see our agriculture practices move from subsistence to commercial and mechanized farming.


Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen

This is a transformational agenda that prioritises animal and fish farming through innovative programmes like Malawi Fish for All Initiative while reviewing and reorganizing A Cow A Family Initiative.



Indeed, this is a transformative agenda that decentralizes tobacco marketing and licensing systems to ensure broad-based participation by our rural tobacco farmers.



Yes, through this Manifesto, the People’s Party has embraced a holistic approach to improving quality of and access to education.




Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen

The People’s Party Government is committed to improving education facilities and infrastructure, teacher’s development, provision of adequate teaching and learning materials, improving conditions of services for teachers among others.



To demonstrate this commitment, the People’s Party promises to:


Transform the University of Malawi Colleges into fully fledged Universities as one of the strategies to expand access and improving efficiency of operations;

Construct six Teacher Training Colleges and convert Domasi College of Education into a fully fledged Domasi University of Education to address the supply of teachers; and

Strengthen the school inspectorate at primary and secondary levels to ensure that education standards and quality match the overall transformation agenda.



The People’s Party is offering transformative strategies in reforming our health sector, infrastructure development, and our economy in general.



This Manifesto is offering new hope to our youth; to our women; to our people with disabilities and to our elderly. This Manifesto is saying that you are the people and therefore the owners of the People’s Party. You are the reason for the People’s Party’s existence.


This vision requires us to agree on what we must do to realize our destiny.


Most of all, we want a Government that is of the people; respects the people; and serves the people. We want a Government that guarantees the freedom, dignity, and pride of every Malawian.


We want a Government that is motivated, efficient and able to deliver on its mandate. We want an open, transparent and accountable Government. This lies at the heart of the agenda we set forth in this Manifesto.



Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen


I am committed to continue to champion the cause of the rural and urban poor.


I am committed to continue champion the cause of women and youth. I am committed to continue champion the cause of the workers, the people with disability and the elderly. I am committed to continue champion the cause of the business community. Yes, I am committed to continue champion the cause of students.


Indeed, I am committed to rural transformation as the centre-piece of my transformational agenda.


This is in response to the fact that life in rural Malawi is a continuous struggle and the rural folk are looking for a leadership and a government that can change their life circumstances forever.


I want to call upon all our people: men and women, young and old; rich and poor to see what I see because I am indeed seeing prosperity upon our land. Now it demands of us to make a better Malawi possible. A Malawi that becomes the hope of our people and the continent. A Malawi that is a centre of excellence for doing business.


A Malawi that is efficient and skilful. Yes, a healthy Malawi.In this regard, the choices we make today are critical in determining the future we desire to have.


I have full confidence in the people of Malawi. We all share the same dream of a better future for our country, our families, and our children. This Manifesto says what the People’s Party Government, under my leadership, intends to do in order to achieve that objective. I ask of you for your support.


It is Possible to transform Malawi. Nzotheka!


It is possible for the People’s Party to win this election! Nzotheka!


Now it is my honour to launch the 2014-2019 People’s Party Election Manifesto.


I thank you.