By Kondwani Magombo
Salima, August 21, Mana: Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Commander, General Vincent Nundwe, has decried the tendency of benchmarking prior to commencement of government projects saying it stalls development.
He made the remarks on Saturday at the graduation ceremony of the first cohort of MDF Senior Command and Staff in Salima, presided over by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.
Nundwe said the idea of having a senior command and staff college in the country was conceived in 2014 but it had taken years to be implemented due to the said benchmarking process.
“The serious problem that we have in this country is a disease called benchmarking,” he said, adding that, “This disease needs immediate vaccine because it is delaying projects.”
The MDF Commander cited the yet-to-be-implemented construction of referral hospital at the MDF Headquarters in Lilongwe as recommended by an inquiry into President Bingu Mutharika’s death in 2012.
“To date, the construction of the referral hospital is yet to be implemented due to this benchmarking disease: we have been to South Africa, Portugal, Zambia, and now we want to go to India!
“The money we are spending on air tickets on benchmarking trips should have helped us lay, at least, a foundation of the project,” Nundwe added.
In his keynote speech, President Chakwera concurred with Nundwe saying the country’s development has, for long, been stalled by lack of self-discipline.
He urged every Malawian to practice self-discipline and not to wait for someone to take lead.
“The benchmarking that you’re bemoaning is a symptom of a disease: lack of self-discipline,” Chakwera said, adding: “The tendency of going round in circles on one project does not help build a nation.
“Let the discipline that exist in the MDF be a contagion that should cascade down to everyone.”
After presiding over the graduation ceremony, Chakwera held a development rally at Kaphatenga where he emphasized on the need for self-discipline among all Malawians if the country was to be developed
