OFFICE OF THE BUREAU OF THE COMESA AUTHORITY
EULOGY OF HIS MAJESTY KING MSWATI III, OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND AND MEMBER OF THE BUREAU OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMON MARKET FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA (COMESA) AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE PRESIDENT NGWAZI PROFESSOR BINGU WA MUTHARIKA
DELIVERED BY
HON. SENATOR THEMBA NHLANGANISO MASUKU, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND:
Your Excellency, Mrs Joyce Banda, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the COMESA Authority;
Your Excellency, The former First Lady of Malawi, Madame Callista Mutharika and Members of the Mutharika family;
Your Excellency, Mr Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,
Your Excellency, Mr Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya and Chairman of the East African Community;
Your Excellency, Mr Armando Emilio Guebuza, President of the Republic of Mozambique and Representing the Southern African Development Community;
Your Excellency, Mr Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania;
Your Excellency, Mr Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia;
The Rt Hon. Khumbo Hastings Kachali, Vice-President of the Republic of Malawi;
Your Excellency, Mr Kgalema Montlanthe, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa;
Your Honour, Dr Guy Scot, Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia;
Hon. Peter Mutharika, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malawi;
Your Excellency, Li Ligou, Minister of Civil Affairs, Representing the People's Republic of China;
Your Excellency, Reuben E. Brigety II, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Representing the United States of America;
Your Excellency, Mr Bakili Muluzi, Former President of the Republic of Malawi;
Rt Hon. Morgan Tswangirai, Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe;
Rt Hon. Justin Malewezi, Former Vice-President of the Republic of Malawi;
Rt Hon. Cassim Chilumpha, MP, Former Vice-President of the Republic of Malawi;
Your Excellency, Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission;
Rt Hon. Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, First Minister of the Government of Scotland;
Your Excellencies, Representatives of Heads of State and Government;
Your Lordship, Lovemore Munlo, SC, Chief Justice of the Republic of Malawi;
Rt Hon. Henry Chimumthu Banda, Speaker of the Malawi National Assembly;
Hon. John Tembo, MP, President of the Malawi Congress Party and Leader of the Official Opposition;
Hon. Ministers and Members of Parliament;
Dr Bright Msaka, SC, Chief Secretary to the Government;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Development Partners;
Representatives of Regional and International Organizations;
Members of the Clergy;
Fellow Mourners;
On behalf of the COMESA Heads of State and Government and indeed on my own behalf and that of the Swazi Nation; I convey our heartfelt condolences to you personally, Your Excellency, President Joyce Banda; to the family of the late President Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika, and to the nation of Malawi; upon the passing of His Excellency, Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika, late President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the COMESA Authority.
The late President, His Excellency Bingu wa Mutharika, will be remembered for the enormous contribution he made towards the attainment of sustainable economic development and the eradication of poverty in the Republic of Malawi in particular, and Africa in general, which includes the COMESA region.
Under his Chairmanship of the African Union, he championed food and nutrition security through the "African Food Basket" with his passionate rallying call that "no child should go to bed on an empty stomach".
For the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) of which he was the architect and its leading intellectual innovator as the first Secretary-General, this extra-ordinary leader will be remembered for his indelible contribution to the COMESA Treaty whose philosophy and ideological underpinning is that Africa can only develop through collective action and shared sovereignty.
In my role as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa from 1990 to 1992, I had the opportunity to work with the late President Mutharika who was then the Secretary-General of the PTA. With his support we strengthened the organization by bringing on board many development partners to support the projects and programmes of the PTA and later on, of COMESA. I also worked closely with the late President Mutharika as Chairman of the COMESA Authority from 2010 to 2011 when he was Vice-Chairman of the Authority and together with fellow Heads of State and Government of COMESA, we laid the basis for the ambitious COMESA, EAC and SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area that will account for more than half of the population of the African continent, with a combined Gross Domestic Product of slightly over US $1 trillion.
This great leader we are laying to rest today made so much effort in the development and improvement of infrastructure at both the national and regional levels. He also contributed to the promotion of value addition to our exports as a means of promoting economic growth and elimination of poverty. In addition to his incredible leadership in COMESA he also made significant contributions to the development of the COMESA, EAC, SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area whose negotiations are about to commence.
Your Excellency, Madam President; Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, and fellow mourners; the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa has lost its icon who served with dedication and distinction as the organization's first Secretary-General. As Head of State, he served as the Vice-Chairperson, and finally as Chairperson of the COMESA Authority. His visionary and passionate contribution to the noble ideals and objectives of COMESA in particular and African integration in general shall be greatly missed.
Allow me also to convey to you, Your Excellency, the Government and People of Malawi our heartfelt appreciation for the smooth democratic transition that ensued in this great Republic after the passing on of the late President. Your leadership and the entire Malawi nation has distinguished itself in the world by upholding democratic values and adhering to the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, a commitment that Malawi made under the COMESA Treaty.
Your Excellency, Madam President, as you lead Malawi and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa; we want to assure you of our undivided and full support of COMESA Member States, and its Secretariat.
May the soul of President Mutharika rest in eternal peace; and may the Almighty God sustain you, Your Excellency, and the entire bereaved nation of Malawi during this difficult period.
END.
 STATEMENT FOR HIS MAJESTY KING MSWATI III | [ ] | 162 Kb |