Mixed reactions to Mutharika’s AU chairmanship

The election of the Malawi leader, Bingu wa Mutharika, as Africa Union (AU) chairman has been received with mixed reactions with local economists bashing it while political analysts have welcomed it.

Economic analysts are pointing out that there is nothing that Malawi will gain from Mutharika’s AU chairmanship as the country will lose out financially in sponsoring the union’s activities.

Economics Association of Malawi vice chairperson Paul Kwengere told a local daily that the position would also distract Mutharika from concentrating on domestic issues.

“The downside to this is that President Mutharika will be so much involved in African issues that sometimes people may feel he is foregoing certain domestic issues,” he told The Daily Times.

The economists’ concern that Malawi will cough funds to finance some African Union activities hold water because just on Tuesday this week, Parliament endorsed a six-month budget of K500 million for Mutharika AU engagements.

“A further K500 million has been earmarked to support the activities of His Excellency the State
President in position as current chairman of African Union,” Finance Minister Ken Kandodo told Parliament when he was seeking approval of the new extra allocation in Malawi budget.

He also announced that government will spend another K450 million on an AU Finance Ministers meeting to be held in Malawi.

The opposition parties are also irked with the development and have asked for transparency and accountability on how those funds will be used.

While economists and the opposition have some reservations as they are looking at the financial and economic implications of Mutharika’s chairmanship, political analysts have a totally different view.

University of Malawi political analyst Blessings Chinsinga said the move was a welcome development.

“One of the advantages of his election as chairman is that he will be able to contribute to the development activities happening continent-wide,” said Chinsinga.

He pointed out that on a continent where conflict is the order of the day, outstanding leaders like Mutharika ought to play a role in bringing peace and sanity to such nations.

“Mutharika is, for instance, close to Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, so it is easy for him to intervene in the crisis in that country and once the crisis in Zimbabwe is over we will benefit a lot economically as we used to trade a lot with Harare in the past,” said Chinsinga.

Interestingly, the media has also thrown its support behind Mutharika’s AU chairmanship with a commentary in the Daily Times reading in part: “There is no doubt that Mutharika’s leadership of the continental body will also put Malawi in the limelight….However, with Bingu as chairman of AU, Malawi’s popularity will definitely soar and make the country a bigger investment destination.”
According to the paper, the challenge is for Malawi to market its products to the international community as the country will be a hub for many international meetings, courtesy of Mutharika’s new position.

Besides conflict in some troubled countries, Mutharika has observed that poverty and hunger are other enemies that should be dealt with.

He says any meaningful development starts with food security and hoped that Africa will achieve that within the coming five years.

“I am optimistic that in five years time no child will die of hunger or go to bed without eating in Africa,” he has told the media.— Media24 Africa

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