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President Obama Touches Malawians

The U.S. Embassy invited senior Malawian Government officials and civil society leaders to view the speech delivered by President Barack Obama in Accra Ghana at the Public Affairs Section in Lilongwe.  The Embassy also held similar “viewing parties” at American Corners at Mzuzu University and the Polytechnic.  Participants hailed President Obama for his call on African leaders to commit themselves to good governance to enhance the continent’s development.

After viewing the speech at the Public Affairs Section auditorium in Lilongwe, participants concurred with President Obama that African leaders needed to do more to improve the continents governance record.  In his speech entitled “A New Moment of Promise,” President Obama said good governance is an ingredient for sustainable development. 
He condemned repression, which he said had led to poverty in many countries.  He said “No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers.  No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of Port Authority is corrupt.  No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery.  That is not democracy that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.”     

On conflicts in Africa, participants concurred with President Obama who called on leaders to seek peaceful means of resolving conflicts.  They observed that time had come for the African continent to stand up against inhumanity and avoid targeting innocent people in the name of ideology. 
In the speech, President Obama said it was the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice to condemn women to relentless and systematic rape.  He said “We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in Congo.  No faith or culture should condone the outrages against them.”

However a few participants felt western powers, including the U.S., need to do more on this, accusing them of fueling conflicts in Africa due their selective application of the law.  They gave examples of Zimbabwe and Egypt, saying the two countries are treated separately yet they both lack democratic principles.
Speaking at the event in Lilongwe, U.S. Ambassador to Malawi Peter W. Bodde hailed Malawians for co-existing peacefully.  He commended Malawians for choosing what he said was the right path to development. He also pointed out that it’s the responsibility of every Malawian to ensure that the peace being enjoyed in the country is sustained. 

A Mzuzu University student praised President Obama for the promised aid to Africa but felt that African leaders needed to do more to become self-reliant saying the conditions that come with western aid perpetrate poverty in developing countries. 
The student also urged the U.S. and the west to offer better prices for products coming from Africa to encourage production and level the playing field on the international market.

Students praised President Obama for promoting interaction between Africa and the west which they said would help to reduce existing tensions and mistrust.