The leadership of the Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) has praised His Excellency, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi, for his exceptional leadership in the face of misrepresentation, allegations, and mistrust from certain quarters following the tragic loss of the late Right Honourable Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others in a plane crash in Chikangawa Forest, Mzimba, on June 10, 2024.
During a visit to Kamuzu Palace on Tuesday to offer condolences, EAM Vice Chairperson Dr. Maggie Madimbo commended President Chakwera for his resilience and patience in managing the crisis.
Dr. Madimbo highlighted EAM’s appreciation for President Chakwera’s personal support for all activities related to honoring the late vice president and the other victims of the crash
“You have demonstrated fatherly attributes that the nation desperately needed at this trying and emotional time. This is highly commendable and has left a huge testimony of your Christian witness,” Madimbo added. “We applaud you, Your Excellency, for being proactive in calling for an independent inquiry into this plane crash. The report will go a long way in clearing the misconceptions and mistrust currently prevailing.”
The Vice Chairperson also thanked Malawians for maintaining peace and calm during the period, despite social media being awash with rhetoric glorifying anarchy by some disgruntled individuals.
She explained that the disaster has revealed how polarized our nation is along tribal and party lines and that her organization will actively and aggressively sensitize people across the nation, in churches and communities, to live in harmony and peacefully as one people.
“There is a need to continuously remind ourselves as Malawians to love our nation and be proud of our Malawianness. Sometimes, the comments by some of us tend to be negative and uninspiring,” she said.
Madimbo assured the president that EAM will continue to provide an advisory role wherever necessary to him as a leader in all matters of governance and conduct.
In his remarks, President Chakwera told the delegation that the death of the late Right Honourable Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others is painful to him and the Malawi nation.
Chakwera assured them that the government has given consent to German experts to conduct a thorough investigation so that the public may know the truth about the accident.
