LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s civil rights groups under the banner Forum for National Development (FND) and Malawi Black-lead Economic Movement (MaBLEM) has lauded the construction of the late Vice President Saulos Chilima’s mausoleum.
FND and MaBLEM National Coordinator Fryson Chodzi therefore commended both Malawi Government and the Chilima family for what he described as a “dignified and fitting mausoleum honouring the late Saulos Klaus Chilima “at Nsipe in Ntcheu.
Chodzi made the remarks on Monday afternoon when he led a delegation of civil society organization (CSO) leaders to pay homage to the late former Vice President, praising the memorial as an important step in preserving Malawi’s political and historical heritage.
He observed that the country often falls short in safeguarding the legacies of national figures, warning that many individuals who contributed significantly to Malawi’s development are frequently forgotten shortly after their burial.
“It has been two years since we lost Right Honourable Saulos Klaus Chilima, and while some may begin to forget his contributions, it is befitting that he has been honoured with a proper public ceremony and the unveiling of his final resting place,” said Chodzi.
He further described Chilima as a versatile leader whose influence extended beyond politics into business and faith-based engagements.
According to him, Chilima “lived a distinguished life,” having served as Vice President under different leadership arrangements and remaining active across multiple sectors of national development.
“Chilima led a remarkable life to the extent of serving as Vice President under parallel government leadership structures, besides his involvement in the business community and religious spaces.
He was daring in almost every field you can think of fearless and action-oriented,” he added.
Chodzi said Chilima’s contributions warranted even greater recognition, including proposals for the establishment of a museum dedicated to documenting his life, leadership journey, and lessons for future generations.
He stressed that Malawi still has much to learn from Chilima’s leadership style, describing him as a unifying, progressive, and visionary figure who inspired hope across different sections of society.
“In most of today’s leadership structures, we see trial-and-error approaches driven by personal or family interests rather than the broader good of the people. Chilima, on the other hand, stood for all levels of society,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that he left us too soon,” Chodzi lamented.
Accompanying Chodzi during the visit were HRCC and MaBLEM board chairperson Robert Mkwezalamba, Citizen Alliance representative Buxton Nkhoma, and members of National Advocacy Platform (NAP), among other CSO leaders.
Leave a Reply