The President of the Republic presided over the 99th congregation of the University of Malawi (Unima) graduating students.
The event took place at the Unima campus in Zomba where the head of State and Chancellor of the university enjoyed warm welcome.
“I felt it necessary to remind you of the responsibilities that come with the privilege of having sat under the tutelage of this institution. For starters, anyone graduating from here has the responsibility to show leadership. But here I must hasten to add what I mean leadership. As far as I am concerned, showing leadership has nothing to do with having a formal position or being the boss, but with a lifestyle of inspiring those around you with the example of your work ethic, your ideas, your efforts, your sacrifice, your convictions, your decision making, your courage, and your patriotism”, he said.
“It is not acceptable and there is no excuse to have any institution or organization or agency or corporation in this country suffering from leadership gaps while University of Malawi graduates are there”.
“The unique place that this University occupies in our nation’s history now means that anyone graduating from this University has the responsibility to give back. It was Jesus who said that to whom much is given, much shall be expected, and that principle applies here. Those of us who have studied here have been given plenty and must take our turn to render sacrificial service to our country, to our community, and to our college” he further suggested.
Chakwera descended on reality and took the opportunity to address some public concerns that a huge part of theft and pillage happening in the public sector is orchestrated by Unima graduates: “To be frank, I am greatly concerned by the sense that in recent times, graduates of this University have gained for themselves a reputation of pursuing some professions to get rich quickly, to exploit the poor, to milk and game the system, to practice greed, and to engage in an endless exercise of taking and taking and taking and taking. That is not the University of Malawi’s way and we need to come back to our senses”.
President Chakwera reminisced that Malawi has a long way to go towards reaching her aspirations and satisfactory service to her citizens.
“Ours is a country with great needs”, he said adding that as a nation facing many challenges, while existing with much potential, “what Malawi needs is a generation of leaders who see themselves as givers, not takers; a generation of citizens who see themselves as producers, not consumers; a generation of entrepreneurs who see themselves as net exporters, not net importers; a generation of people who see themselves as servants, not masters”.
Before going to the ceremony, President Chakwera toured some of the projects currently going on at the campus and in his speech he expressed contentment that the progress being made gives encouragement to his drive for more developments that his administration plans for the country.
