President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has assured Malawians and foreign countries of his government’s commitment to ensure the investigation into the plane crash is transparent, independent and without any political interference.
Chakwera made the assurance at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe during the state funeral of the departed Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima.
Chilima and eight other people died last Monday when the plane they boarded on their way to Ralph Kasambra’s funeral crashed in Chikangawa Forest.
Chakwera said he knows that many people have doubts about how the accident happened, so his government will institute a transparent and independent investigation to establish the cause of the accident.
“I am assuring all Malawians today that this accident will be investigated thoroughly and independently. I have already asked foreign countries to help us in this regard. I know that the Malawi Defense Force has its own ways of investigating what caused such an accident, but the most important investigation is to create some special people so that all Malawians can get honest answers, because it is not enough for the MDF to investigate alone,” he said.
Chakwera stressed that just as many Malawians are asking about the cause of the accident, he, as a parent, also has the same questions.
He said this is the reason why he has asked experts in foreign countries to help.
But the leader has asked Malawians to give them time and space to do research to do a good job.
“If we want this investigation to really answer our questions, please continue to maintain peace and comfort each other in a calm manner. But I can assure you that this special investigation will be done, and the results will be known and we will try to correct what was found to be wrong,” said Chakwera.
He also pleaded with Malawians to be kind to each other as the world mourns Chilima’s funeral.
Chakwera emphasized that funerals should not be a reason for creating hatred and offending each other.
“In our upbringing, we do not fail to make mistakes in our thoughts, speech, and actions, but please let us not take it to heart because this happens because of the pain we have nothing to do with. I am the one who knows that this is the time to accept being insulted and mocked because the parent who should accept everyone’s crying is me, so please I don’t want anyone to return the pain to another because of those who choose to include words to find excuses for me in their crying. “We don’t shut up those who cry, because when you are crying, God is comforting us and our part is to comfort each other and not to avenge each other’s pain, because war does not build a village,” he said.
Speaking about Chilima, Chakwera said Malawi has lost a very important person and the country will feel the pain of this death for a long time because of the good work he did that affected many people.
“If there is one thing I learned from Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima in the four years that I have been working with him is the virtue of being a patient person, a person who gets along well with everyone, a person who does not take the mistakes of others to heart, a person who does not keep debts, a person who does not neglect his country, and a person who survives when things go wrong,” he said.