By Vincent Gunde
President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is set to engage youth across the country to clarify on the State of the Nations Address (SONA) which he delivered in Parliament on Friday 14th February, 2025 outlining development projects district by district.
During the Address to the Nation, President Chakwera claimed that his government has made successes in the implementation of tangible projects in all districts across the country saying this is a good evidence for Malawians to judge his performance.
After presentation of the SONA, queries started coming out in the open dismissing President Chakwera for delivering lies in the National Assembly and even Leader of Opposition Dr. George Chaponda and opposition parties described the SONA as empty and full of lies.
Reacting to President Chakwera’s engagement with the youth on the SONA, Political activist Bon Kalindo, said President Chakwera is not respecting Parliament advising the Malawi Law Society (MLS) to intervene in as soon as possible arguing that the SONA cannot be responded by outsiders.
Kalindo said if President Chakwera is engaging the youth on the SONA, he is breaking the law and taking Parliament as useless urging him to dissolve Parliament and be Parliament himself for the country to move according to his own wishes.
He said this is the first time in the history of the country to see a sitting President taking the SONA outside Parliament for responses describing this as a recipe for disaster which will be taken as crossing the red line threatening people.
The activist has expressed fears as to what would happen if Members of Parliament (MPs) shoot down the SONA as full of lies, saying this demand the Chief Justice, Leader of Opposition, Attorney General and Speaker of Parliament to advise President Chakwera not to proceed engaging the youth on SONA.
He said it is again sad that MCP Members of Parliament and cabinet Ministers will be going in the districts engaging with the people giving clarifications of the SONA, appealing to the state that if the resources are more, it is better to channel it to the procurement of medicines in hospitals.
“Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital has 9 ambulances, 2 are moving serving 34 health centres, why not channeling the resources to serve lives of patients?” questioned Kalindo.
He said on a surprising not, the number which the youth have been given to engage the President by asking questions for SONA clarification is 099552280 saying this number belongs to Kelvin Gumbi meaning that he is the one to be answering questions on behalf of President Chakwera describing this as fooling the youth.
Kalindo has finally expressed his grave concern over people using voter registration certificates when entry into the houses of the President and his Vice questioning Malawians that what picture is government portraying to them ahead of the 16th September, 2025 elections saying their guess is as good as his.
