A country in sorrow 

Bird’s View Eye – Column Every Wednesday

Lets honour Chilima legacy by mourning with dignity

There is the Chichewa adage: Wolira samutseka pakamwa, meaning a mourner should not be silenced. In the dignified and somber observance of our profound grief for Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, Vice President of Malawi and leader of the United Transformation Movement (UTM), Malawians are reminded of this adage.

This sentiment is deeply relevant as we navigate the collective sorrow that has enveloped our nation. The death of Chilima has undoubtedly stirred intense emotions and sparked widespread discourse, particularly in public forums and on social media.

This monumental loss weighs heavily on every Malawian, including Dr. Lazarus McCathy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi.

In the heartfelt words of President Chakwera, Words cannot describe how heartbreaking this is and I can only imagine the depth of pain and anguish you all must be feeling at this time, as well as the sorrow that will linger in the coming days and weeks as we mourn this terrible loss.

It is crucial to dispel any misconceptions suggesting that the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) harboured ill intentions towards Chilima. His rapport with President Chakwera was evidently amicable.

Chilima was a consistent presence at all Cabinet meetings held at Kamuzu Palace, frequently co-chairing with the President. His participation extended to all public governmental engagements alongside President Chakwera, and he was often entrusted with both local and international duties.

Only a day before the tragic accident, Chilima returned from representing President Chakwera at the South Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul.

President Chakwera, in his national addresses, has underscored that this grievous death should serve to unify Malawians more than ever. I consider it one of the greatest honours of my life to have had him as my deputy and counsellor for the past four years.

“His passing is a terrible loss to his wife Mary, his family, his friends, his colleagues in Cabinet and to all of us as a nation that found his leadership and courage a source of inspiration, mourned Chakwera as he broke the terrible news to the nation.

In his profound empathy, Chakwera conveyed; I am profoundly sorry to all of you for this terrible loss and I pray for God to comfort us all and bind up our wounds as we mourn together as one nation under one flag.

While some voices may seek to divert those mourning Chilima, it is imperative to acknowledge his passing as a consequence of a genuine plane crash. Although mourners should not be silenced, it is equally irresponsible to utter words that incite guilt among the grieving.
The ill-fated aircraft had been in service to the President for the past four years, routinely facilitating trips to Mangochi via Club Makokola Airstrip and visits to the Northern Region through Mzuzu Airport.

On top of that, this was not Chilimas first journey aboard this MDF aircraft; he had previously used it to attend presidential public engagements in the north.

President Chakwera poignantly remarked, That aircraft is one I myself have used on similar trips, an aircraft that others had used just the day before, and an aircraft that the crew had operated successfully just hours before.

“Yet despite the track record of the aircraft and the experience of the crew, something terrible went wrong with that aircraft on its flight back to Lilongwe, sending it crashing down and killing everyone on board, leaving us all devastated and asking ourselves questions whose answers cannot alleviate the pain and helplessness we feel from this loss,” he said.

In our deep affection for the late Chilima, let us honour his memory with the dignity he so richly deserves, as he would have wished.

The tragic accident has revealed that many of those who worked closely with him, especially within the UTM executive, were not privy to his thoughts and plans regarding the 2025 presidential elections.

Understanding his future political intentions might have clarified that the MCP had no motive to remove him from the political stage, affirming that the Chikangawa accident was indeed a tragic mishap due to equipment malfunction.

May the soul of Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight other victims rest in eternal peace.