Assurances from President Joyce Banda Friday that our country is poised for transformation are without doubt soothing although, we must hasten to say, they also raise uncountable questions as to their practicality.

We are tempted to agree with opposition commentators and other players from civil society who hold the view that a close scrutiny of the address made in Parliament yesterday by the President reveals nothing new.

The Economic Recovery Plan, for example, mentions enhancement of exports as one of the means to getting where we would like to be as a nation. But we ask; what exactly is happening on the ground to demonstrate that government is practical about this?

It is ironic, isn't it, that while President Banda is criss-crossing the country distributing relief food items and openly saying two million Malawians are wanting for food, her address is completely silent about the matter.

Is it being naive to seek to know why the President ignored addressing the thorny issue of the new university in Thyolo which requires K1.6 billion to start operations?

When opposition politicians and civil society players say they expected Banda to outline how her government is working around the problem of drug shortage in public hospitals, we think it is realistic.

As the President herself said in the address, the choices we make today are critical in determining the future we desire to have.

Indeed in seeking "to replace a society which had been brutal, exclusive and humiliating to many", caution has to be taken that many more are not disenfranchised by government standing in their way to the right to medical care, the right to food, the right to education etc.

We verily believe that Madam President should have addressed all these issues and hence she has missed a golden opportunity.