The Malawian people have once again been fed a half-truth--if not an outright lie. President Lazarus Chakwera stood before Parliament and confidently declared that five technocrats were responsible for the misinformation in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered on February 14. According to the President, these individuals were summoned, reprimanded, and--most significantly--the leader of the team was fired.
And yet, weeks after this claim, not a single government official can produce a name. Not one.
This begs the question: Who, then, was fired? Or, more disturbingly, was anyone fired at all?
Our investigative efforts to uncover the identities of the supposed culprits have led us down a path of bureaucratic evasion. The President's press secretary, Anthony Kasunda, referred inquiries to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC). When contacted, OPC spokesperson Robert Kalindiza admitted he was still searching for the information. Government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu claimed outright ignorance of the individuals involved.
The silence is deafening.
If the President was telling the truth, why can't any government office confirm the names of those dismissed? Is the government deliberately shielding these individuals, or--more damningly--was the public fed yet another presidential falsehood?
The errors in the SONA were not minor typographical mistakes; they were fundamental inaccuracies. Projects that were unfinished or outright nonexistent were paraded as achievements. Some initiatives were wrongly attributed to the government instead of development partners. In a speech meant to set the record straight on national progress, misinformation was delivered as fact.
Chakwera claimed that these inaccuracies accounted for only two percent of the speech. Even if we were to accept this estimate, two percent of a national address filled with fabrications is still two percent too much. And yet, even with this admission, the government remains unwilling--or unable--to substantiate its claims of accountability.
The process of constructing the SONA is meticulous and involves multiple layers of verification. Ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) provide the data, which is then coordinated by the OPC before reaching the President. According to former State House officials, the Executive Assistant to the President, along with speechwriters and advisers, fact-checks the content.
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Given this rigorous process, how did such glaring errors make it to the final speech? More importantly, if accountability was truly enforced, why the secrecy surrounding the dismissals?
It is becoming increasingly evident that Malawians are being taken for fools. The government wants us to believe that heads rolled, yet it refuses to show us the heads. If no one was actually fired, then we have been lied to--again.
President Chakwera, the time for smoke and mirrors is over. You made a public statement claiming to have acted against those responsible. Now, prove it.
The people of Malawi deserve transparency. If these five technocrats exist, name them. If the team leader was fired, tell us who it was. And if no one was actually dismissed, then admit that your administration has once again misled the nation.
The longer this veil of secrecy remains, the more credibility your government loses. Malawians are watching, and they will not forget.
