S

U
T
REMARKS BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE STATEG OVICE
L O L AT
H

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI ON THE

NATIONAL SITUATION AND RESPONSE TO COVID-19

Introduction
1. Let me start by wishing our Muslim brothers and sisters a blessed Ramadan.
May Allah give you strength and grant your wishes. Ramadan Kareem.

2. Fellow Malawians, a few weeks ago I spoke to you about what is needed to be
done by government to effectively respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, my sincere words of advice and caution, were treated with
contempt and dismissed by those who have been charged with leading our
nation’s management of this public health emergency without any due regard to
the merit of my advice. My suggestions and recommendations were meant to
help those in charge to better understand and manage this emergency before us.
Given these circumstances, one would be tempted to back off, give up or fold
one’s arms and choose to watch from the side-lines as this crisis engulfs our
nation. But that is not an option that any serious leader or a patriot would exercise.
And so, it is not something that I will do. I will not stay silent. I will not sit down and
watch. I will not stop engaging and speaking to the leadership. I will continue to
engage and speak with you my fellow Malawians so that we better understand
and exercise our individual and collective responsibility in dealing with this
pandemic.

3. My fellow Malawians, Coronavirus is here in our country. Yes, COVID-19 has

arrived in our country. It is no longer a rumour or news from afar. This virus is
amongst us in our communities. Since the first 3 cases were confirmed on April 2,
the number of new cases has steadily been on the rise. In just over 3 weeks, we
now have 33 confirmed cases and we have already lost 3 people to this
marauding virus. I offer my heartfelt condolences to those who have lost their
loved ones and I pray that the souls of our departed dear ones rest in peace.

To those that have been diagnosed with the virus, I send you my message of
goodwill and encouragement. Stay strong and hopeful. The whole nation is with
you. We wish you a quick recovery and safe return to your normal family and
social life.

4. Fellow Malawians, the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases is evidence, that

with the virus we have no time to lose but put our act together. As we dilly-dally to
do what needs to be done and as we stumble along, we should not cheat
ourselves that the virus is going to wait on us. Yes, we have a national response
plan and so many other sectoral strategies and measures drawn up, but without
vigorous and strategic leadership all those plans and strategies are nothing but
pieces of words on paper. At this hour, Malawi needs a unifying leadership, that
is not absent, that does not hesitate or shy away from taking responsibility and
motivating vigilance and action from duty-bearers and every other citizen. This is
a war. Our country is at war against COVID-19. COVID-19 will not leave just by
giving it silent treatment. Silence or political talk is not a strategy for this kind of
serious crisis. Ndithudi muvi tikuwuyang’anirawu utilasa m’maso.

5. My fellow Malawians, we have seen and heard reports of how COVID-19 has
devastated countries around the globe. The so-called developed and rich
countries are on their knees despite their advanced and strong health systems.
Economies are crumbling. Tsono ngati ukupsya mtengo wauwisi kuli bwanji
ouma? We can’t risk overwhelming our already weak health system. We can’t risk
overwhelming our inadequate and poorly equipped health workers already
overburdened with other diseases amongst us. Even before this disease our
country was already overburdened with high unemployment rates, biting poverty,
malnutrition and many other societal challenges.

6. My fellow Malawians, it is in recognition of the fierce urgency of the present

situation that I would like to speak with you on some very specific observations
about where we are right now and where we need to go. In doing this, I am build-
ing on the suggestions that I offered when I last addressed you. I still stand by
those suggestions and believe that if embraced in good faith, as they should
have been, can go a long way in helping us all better manage the crisis we now
face.

The crisis of public trust in our government

7. My fellow Malawians, it is clear to everyone that Government faces a serious
deficit of public trust. The public reaction to information from the government on
COVID-19 proves one key thing – the public does not recognize the current lead-
ership as a credible source of information. Every announcement and statement
from the leadership is met with doubt and suspicion. This is sad and regrettable
at so many levels. Firstly, it hampers the Government’s efforts in effectively
managing the crisis. Any credible public health response requires the buy-in from
the very people that it is meant to save. If those people have no trust in the
Government, they will not cooperate in interventions that are meant to save their
own lives. Secondly, lack of trust in the government messaging on the spread of
the virus will lead people to lower their guard and ignore basic instructions for pre-
venting the contraction of the virus. They will ignore instructions of health
personnel on hygiene and social distancing. The result will be that they will put
themselves, their loved ones as well as their communities in grave danger. Put
simply, loss of public trust in their government in a time of crisis can only lead to a
disaster of epic proportions.

8. This is why it is important, therefore, that the response to pandemic must be

owned by the nation. It must be all embracing and must be inclusive. President
Mutharika should, for once, demonstrate leadership by inviting opposition party
leaders, civil society organisations, religious organisations, captains of industry
and even celebrities to be part of the national response. In that way, a clear
message will be sent to every Malawian out there that we are in this together and
that whatever steps and measures we will be taking will be driven for the common
good. This is not the time for using the pulpit of government to gain political
mileage. Tili pano n’pa matenda. The stakes are way too high for us to be
grandstanding and seeking to gain political advantage out of this. Let all of us
together own the solution to this crisis in the spirit of Umunthu.

9. Unfortunately, instead of building public trust, some senior Cabinet Ministers

seem hell bent to lose whatever trust was remaining in the government. Indeed,
while others are fighting hard to stop the spread of the virus, some
Cabinet Ministers are holding campaign rallies with hundreds of people where no
social distancing is being observed going against the very recommendations of
the Ministry of Health. While people are being chased out of their churches and
mosques, the same people are being asked to attend campaign rallies
addressed by Cabinet Ministers. How can people trust the government then?

Investing in our healthcare infrastructure and workers

10. My fellow Malawians, there is no denying that this crisis has exposed the
shameful condition in which our healthcare infrastructure is in. The corona virus
finds our hospitals dilapidated and wanting in essential life-saving equipment and
supplies and ridiculously understaffed even as qualified personnel that we have
trained at great cost to ourselves have languished at home, jobless. It has found
our health system utterly exposed and unprepared for the task at hand. So, let us
be very clear about this. What we are seeing now has been many years in the
the making. And one hopes that this crisis will offer us an opportunity to radically
alter course: to invest in our healthcare system so that it is better prepared to
handle crises of this nature. Politicians must now know that there will be times
when treatment in foreign hospitals will not be a viable option. Well, this is such a
time. We owe it to ourselves and to our compatriots, therefore, that our hospitals
must always be well supported so that they are able to meet whatever challenges
are thrown at them.

11. My fellow Malawians, in responding to the demands that our healthcare

workers had made for revision of their risk allowances, I am glad that these have
been raised. But there doesn’t appear to be any justification why the risk
allowances should be limited to the period when they will be dealing with the
COVID-19. The risks that healthcare workers face are real and these are faced on
a daily basis. These risks have been around even before COVID-19 and there will
remain long after this virus has been contained. And while no amount of money
can sufficiently compensate these brave sons and daughters of this country for
their patriotic sacrifice, the risk allowances that they get must be meaningful. It is,
therefore, my recommendation that the upward revision of the allowances be
made both permanent and inflation responsive. Besides COVID-19, which is a new
disease, our health workers are dealing with even more difficult and high-risk
diseases on daily basis in settings with poor facilities and poor welfare. Besides
COVID-19, we still have malaria, we still have maternal health challenges, HIV and
AIDS and cancer, among other diseases. In a way, I would say the public health
system in Malawi is routinely in a State of Disaster and the COVID-19 situation has
just revealed these gaps.

12. Fellow Malawians, the healthcare workers should also be equipped with
personal protective equipment (PPE) so that they are protected to protect others. I
note that some of this equipment has been made available to them. But
procurement plans must be put in place so that these supplies do not run out in the
midst of our response. Unfortunately, even in times of crisis like these, there are
attempts to engage only politically connected middlemen to procure these items
from abroad. One would have expected that government through the Central
Medical Stores and using diplomatic channels was going to procure these items
directly from abroad (unless some credible local supplier has them off-the-shelf) in
order to save both time and scarce resources. But no, they still think in these times
of sorrow are also times for profiteering. Some Ministers are actually directly
involved in sourcing quotations. We are aware.
13. My fellow Malawians, I have also observed that our system of requiring
COVID-19 infected people or those who might have been exposed to the virus to
self-isolate or self-quarantine is not working well. Key challenges being: 1) lack of
follow-up and reinforcement, and 2) being impractical for most poor people
because they live in already crowded homes. We urgently need to either abandon
or revise our home isolation protocols and to include active reinforcement and
follow up, and to create an institutional option for those who have no spare room
in their households. Institutional isolation centres need to be fit for purpose and
human occupation. It is pointless to put people in these centres or facilities if there
is no guarantee of scrupulous hygiene, quality medical care, personal security and
food. Suggestions to use state facilities as temporary solutions are met with a
mockery. Malawi can also be a model. We were not born to copy what others have
done. We have our own brains and we can think for ourselves surely.

14. My fellow Malawians, the nation and the government should also realise that
for an illness with very limited treatment options like this one, people who are
putting themselves in self-isolation are heroes and ought to be treated with dignity.
They ground their entire life for the safety of their families, their communities and
their nation. These people deserve praise, love, and support from their
communities and the government. We must avoid stigmisation of our brothers and
sisters. Anyone can be infected by this virus. Kanthuka sikamasankha abale.
Prince Charles was infected. The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was in ICU
because of this virus. There is absolutely no room for stigmization of people
afflicted of this disease. In actual fact, such people should give testimonial
evidence of their experiences and the trust and believability levels will sure
improve. They are the best advocates, use them.

15. My fellow Malawians, we also need to urgently and radically scale up our
testing capacity so that it can support wider surveillance of the disease. It is
disheartening that to date, we have tested less than 1,000 people and that we still
have no testing capabilities in many parts of the country. This is a disaster waiting
to explode. Lack of testing means that there could be many people who are
carrying the virus and infecting others without even knowing about it. This may
result in an unchecked spread of the virus among our population. While I am
grateful for donors such as Jack Ma the founder of Ali Baba for donating medical
supplies to Malawi, our response to this crisis cannot be entirely dependent on
charity. We must be able to mobilise resources and procure testing kits so that
these are made available to our healthcare workers. The claim that 20,000 kits are
enough for 18m people simply doesn’t make any sense. It is actually nonsensical.
Lockdown should be driven by science and should be fit for purpose

16. My fellow Malawians, I am aware that there was an attempt by the government
to impose a lockdown for a period of 21 days from 18th April, 2020. This was
temporarily stopped by the High Court and a final determination on this matter will
be made on Wednesday 29th April, 2020.

17. As we have learnt from countries where they have been imposed,
well-organised and adhered-to lockdowns may be an effective tool for slowing
down the spread of the virus. But public health experts tell us that in themselves,
without more, they may not do much to help societies contain the virus. The
questions that we need to ask ourselves are these:

(a) What is the scientific goal and trigger for the lockdown?
(b) What scientific parameters will the government be monitoring during the
lockdown to tell that all is either on or off track, and to tell when to stop?
(c) With the current poor testing capacity, what exactly would the government be
doing during the lockdown?
(d) Shouldn’t we first put our house in order, and know the full extent of the
epidemic before locking down?
(e) Does the population have what they need to fully comply with the restrictions
while maintaining good health?
(f) How does the public health benefit of the lockdown compare with potential
harms?
(g) Have we bothered to follow the law when coming up with the lockdown?

18. My fellow Malawians, locking people away in their homes without clear and de-
liberate public health strategy for steering the lockdown will not do much to help
our situation.

19. Further, thought must also be given to our unique circumstances as a country.
The majority of our people do not live in luxurious compounds in the suburbs of
our cities. For the urban, the majority live in modest housing – some of them in
shacks – in medium to highly populated areas commonly known as ‘ghettos’. Most
of these people do not even access to running water in their homes and must
access their water either at kiosks or boreholes – which may be some distance
from their homes. Most of them do not have access to electricity and so cannot
stock up food in refrigerators like the political elites and thieves can. That is why
they have to go to the market on almost a daily basis to get their food. In fact, they
go out every day to earn only enough to buy food for that particular day. They live
hand-to-mouth. Shameful levels of poverty mean that most of these people do not
have any savings at all. Restricting them to their homes for 3 weeks, without guar-
anteeing them food rations is almost certainly condemning them to death by
hunger. These are conditions which mostly replicate themselves in the villages. It
was quite clear, therefore, that the lockdown that was
announced by the government had not been well thought through and had clearly
been rushed. We cannot avert thousands of deaths due to
coronavirus and yet cause millions of death due to hunger, malnutrition and de-
pression.

20. My fellow Malawians, my view is that a need for a lockdown should

firstly be based on public health imperatives and nothing else. Certainly, not for po-
litical reasons. It should also be supported by credible
interventions such as testing on a large scale as well as contact tracing. People
should also be cushioned from the economic effects of being
prevented from earning their daily wages. The restrictions on movement of people
should also recognise our unique situation. That for the majority of our people,
they must leave their homes to go and draw water for instance.

21. We can rush to mobilise the military and the police service to enforce the lock-
down. But if we have not adequately addressed these concerns, we will simply be
pitting our servicemen against the very same people they have sworn to defend.
We will further be creating room for social unrest and possible grave violations of
human rights. This is a path best avoided. A lockdown can only be effective if
people have capacity to comply, in our unique situation the population needs gov-
ernment support before they can afford the level of compliance that is needed.
Only when these are
guaranteed and can be scaled up from advice from health experts will a lockdown
make sense.

The need for respect of the rule of law

22. My fellow Malawians, there does appear to be suggestions from some that in
responding to this emergency, we need not pay attention to what the
Constitution as well as our laws say on dealing with emergencies. This is a danger-
ous and deceitful suggestion that ought to be firmly rejected. The Constitution is
not only our guiding light, but it also protects us all from the worst impulses of
those who exercise power. There is no greater need to guard against the abuse of
power than in times of emergencies primarily because
autocrats usually use emergencies to allocate to themselves powers that they
that they do nor respect the rule oe law or, indeed, to settle political scores. We
should all be on guard so as not allow the COVID-19 pandemic to be used as
an excuse to violate the Constitution and the rights of our people.

23. To this end, let me categorically reject the shameful position taken by
Government in making gratuitous attacks on our Judges for merely doing what
the Constitution and their oath of office require them to do: that is, interpret the
law of the land. If the Judges say this or that decision or regulation, important
as it may be in reducing the spread of the virus, has not been done according
to what the Constitution or the Public Health Act or the Public Finance Manage-
ment Act says, the Executive cannot start calling the Judges names or, indeed,
make childish statements that they shall leave the management of the crisis to
the Judiciary. Ino sinthawi yonyanyala ntchito. Other countries have come up
with regulations too. But they made sure that that they followed the law in
doing so. If you think you are unable to follow our Constitution and all our laws
in dealing with crisis, simply resign and go. Others shall take over and get this
job done. Nobody paid you to be sulking and we shall not join the “sulk chal-
lenge” regardless which office makes such a shameless suggestion directly or
otherwise.

24. In this regard, let me state that I have seen the guidance that the Malawi
Law Society has given on how this crisis can be managed in accordance with
the law. It is quite clear that this far, in managing our COVID-19
response, we have proceeded on a path of illegality which will, down the line,
only expose the government to expensive court claims and some public offi-
cers to criminal prosecution personally. This is something that ought to be rem-
edied as a matter of urgency. Should need be, the Speaker of the National As-
sembly in consultation with the President should consider calling a meeting
the National Assembly so that it deliberates on legislation for dealing with the
crisis in a manner that is constitutionally compliant. I am aware that such a
meeting would also raise its own public health concerns. But this is something
that the leadership of the House can work to mitigate on so that in transacting
its business, the health of the legislators is not put in peril. We can learn from
others or devise our own means to engage the lawmakers using technology as
one way.

Elections

25. My fellow Malawians, allow me to address the proverbial elephant in the room.
As you know, the Constitutional Court has decided that the fresh
presidential elections must proceed. So, we are having fresh elections soon. The
registration process is continuing as we speak. There are attempts by others to
mislead people that there won’t be elections. That is obviously not true at this
stage unless otherwise guided. Others went to the extent of openly sending thugs
to destroy the Electoral Commission’s equipment in Blantyre. They were appre-
hended by ordinary Malawians who are tired of the thuggery and having their
future stolen by criminals. Others, indeed, are using the
coronavirus pandemic to scare people – particularly in areas they have zero sup-
port – so that people do not go and register. Again, this must and shall fail.

26. My fellow Malawians, in short, let us go and register to vote. Choosing our
leaders is our God-given right. Choosing right leaders shall stop the needless
deaths our women suffer when giving birth. Choosing right
leaders shall reduce the countless deaths due to curable diseases afflicting our
communities. Choosing the right leaders means better equipping our hospitals
and hospital personnel to best deal with this pandemic and other diseases. Choos-
ing the right leaders means using our security forces to bring peace and harmony
in our communities and not to serve one person and his small group of friends or
tribesmen. In short, choosing the right leaders means
marshalling all this nation’s wealth and resources for the common good. Malawi
shall be a Happy Nation. We must, therefore, go and register while ensuring that
we follow the recommendations on
hygiene and social distancing to ensure that we do not spread the virus. This is
possible. It has been done elsewhere. It can be done here too.

27. As it happens, there are credible stories of registration of underage

children and the buying of voter registration cards by certain people. I would like
to remind these criminals that Malawians have had enough of your
shenanigans. Do not test their patience. They are watching you. We are
watching you. We shall ensure that no one, absolutely no one, steals this
election. The country needs to move on. Malawians do not want to be voting every
year. They want their lives to return to normalcy.

Conclusion
29. In conclusion, I want to urge all of my fellow Malawians not to be
deceived. Covid-19 is real and it is here. It is a dangerous disease which
currently has no cure. We owe it to ourselves to follow basic health instructions
so that we keep ourselves, our loved ones and our communities safe. Let us
keep washing our hands with soap regularly for a period of not less than 20
seconds or to use alcohol based hand sanitisers.
Let us maintain a social distance of not less than 1 meter from the next person.
For those of us who can, let us stay home and work from there. If we are
coughing and sneezing, let us do us into the inside of our elbow and not into
our hands. We can also cover our mouth and nose with a clean tissue or paper
towel which we should immediately and safely dispose of. And when we
develop flue like symptoms let us stay home and self-isolate. If we get
symptoms like a cough, sore throat, fever and difficulties in breathing, stay
home along with your entire household. If your symptoms worsen, such as
getting very breathless or severe chest pain, please, call the Ministry of Health
reaction teams on the numbers that have been provided so that we can be as-
sisted within your home.

30. If you are aged over 55, have heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic
lung diseases, your risk of getting severe illness or not making it is higher than
for the rest of the population. So, please, stay home for the
duration of the disease spread. Young people, time has come for you to look
after your parents and grandparents wherever they are. Stock them with basic
needs so that they do not have to move around for food and soap.

31. My fellow Malawians, let us all do our bit and be responsible during this time.
We should avoid spreading fake news which just serves to cause
unnecessary alarm and panic within members of the general public. Get your
information on the pandemic from reliable sources only. Avoid trying remedies and
medicines that have not been recommended by the health experts. You will just
end up harming yourself and your loved ones.

32. Finally, I want to continue paying tribute to our healthcare workers. The good
men and women who are following up on cases of Covid-19 and conducting
contact tracing. The workers who are collecting samples and testing them. The
doctors and the nurses who are caring for the sick. You are this nation’s finest. The
brave of our bravest. We salute your immeasurable sacrifice and promise to stand
with you during this hour of uncertainty and danger. You are inspiring all of us
through the power of your example.

33. I thank you for your attention. May God Bless and Heal this Nation.

Dated 26th April 2020

Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima