Chakwera says unity key to building Malawi

President Lazarus Chakwera says Malawians must ignore voices of hate and unite to build the country as envisioned by those that fought for its freedom.

The President said this yesterday at the centenary celebrations of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (Amec) at Mdabwi Mission in Traditional Authority Mwase in Kasungu District.

Mdabwi Mission was founded by Hannock Msokera in 1924 and prides itself as having facilitated the country’s founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s trip to the United States to pursue higher education.

The President said just as there were Malawians who sided with the colonial government to abuse their compatriots, there are also people today who are preoccupied with evil acts of vandalism and theft instead of assisting in building the country.

Said Chakwera: “The 100 years of existence being celebrated today must be a reminder to us all that God keeps and protects those that take part in building the nation.

“For those that take part in destroying our country, there is no history for them, just as we do not have history for those that sided with the colonial government to abuse our people. We only remember those that fought for freedom like Hannock Msokera whom we are celebrating today.”

The President said what the church did in helping Kamuzu to go to America makes it part of the country’s history and must be remembered for helping to lay the foundation of Malawi.

He said: “Sometimes we have a problem of forgetting where we are coming from. Amec must be remembered because without it, Dr Banda couldn’t have found an opportunity to learn in the United States.

“This is why Dr Banda came to this place where we are today in 1974 in honour of the late Hannock Msokera. So, we must remember these people for the work they have done for this country.”

In his sermon, presiding Amec Bishop of 19th District of South Africa, the Reverend Paul Kawimbe thanked Chakwera for attending the celebrations, describing his presence as a sign of a solid relationship that exists between government and the faith community.

He said: “We have gone past 100 years of legacies, memories and challenges, but we gather here today in honour of Hannock Msokera  and those that cleared the way for us.”

Kawimbe said God’s mercies have been the church’s constant companion in the century-long trip full of both triumphs and challenges.

Amec has 147 churches wi th an es t imated membership of a million followers.

Apart from the spiritual ministry, the church also runs primary and secondary schools, pays school fees for needy students, supports the health sector with expatriate medical services and assists the government in responding to natural disasters through donations of relief items and building houses for victims.