This is how @LAZARUSCHAKWERA started his #Sona speech: Malawi stands in the twilight hours between the receding gloom of a long dark night and the rising bloom of a new day. In this time of transition, the providence of God and the profundity of Malawians have conspired to bestow
on me the honor of presenting you and this August House with a portrait of the state of our nation.
Although I am no stranger here, having twice graced this body as a legislator, the miracle of my standing here as President is uniquely sobering. It is, therefore, right for me
Although I am no stranger here, having twice graced this body as a legislator, the miracle of my standing here as President is uniquely sobering. It is, therefore, right for me
to express, at the outset, my thanks to Malawians for the singular honor of choosing me to address this 49th Session of their Parliament. Madam Speaker, my intent today is to tell you, along with all Malawians represented here, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth, so help me God. The truth is our most potent weapon for development, as well as our defence against the false narratives often told about our country. For example, you may have heard it said that Malawi is a poor country, but we must reject this lie. Surely, my country,
with 85 million dollars in gold exported to the Middle East every year, is not poor. My country, with a freshwater lake and multiple rivers capable of generating 100 million dollars a year in revenue, is not poor. My country, with soils fertile enough to grow the food needed to
end hunger for good, is not poor. My country, home to the coffee-scented hills of Misuku in Chitipa and the teacovered plains of Satemwa in Thyolo, is not poor. My country, home to the silhouettes of zebras and elephants grazing against the backdrop of a golden sunset,
is not poor.
