More flashy cars for President Mutharika: Malawi controversial expenditure
It has emerged that government has not only bought one top-of-the-range Lexus LX 570 for President Peter Mutharika but there other four vehicles to be added to the fleet.
The vehicles each is pegged at about K100 million ($136 986).
Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe has since feigned ignorance of the purchase of the President’s vehicles.
“We gave State House a budget and they have decided to use it the way they found fit. We don’t control it,” Gondwe said.
Malawians are wondering how serious President Mutharika is about austerity with the purchase of the vehicles at a time the country is struggling economically and millions are in need of food aid.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) deputy spokesperson Ezekiel Ching’oma described the timing of the purchase as shocking and “very wrong”.
“We all expect the President to walk the talk when it comes to the implementation of necessary priorities that would benefit the local man. Remember there was an outcry when this very government bought expensive cars for parliamentary leadership? And a strong voice came from the DPP. Didn’t the government learn anything from that occurrence? Why is the government behaving as if all is well? Is it not an obvious fact that there’s a collapse in the government service delivery? And key sectors such as health, education, and agriculture are the most affected. Is this the right time for the President to live sumptuously? Seriously?
“Whilst Malawians are grappling with poverty to the core? This procurement would be equated to milking a very thin cow. We are in trouble,” said Ching’oma.
Political pressure group Transformation Alliance (TA) said in a statement said it is “inhumane” for a Head of State presiding over an economy that is one of the poorest in the world to prefer to live in another world himself.
“The timing is very bad. Maize prices have been increased by the same government from K5 500 to K12 500, a price which obviously most Malawians who live below the poverty line cannot afford.
“We are shocked by the cruelty exhibited by government to the sufferings of people. It is immoral to have double standards, one for the poor and one for the rich, like Mutharika and his cronies,” reads in part the statement signed by TA spokesperson Leonard Chimbanga.
However, presidential press secretary Mgeme Kalilani said there is nothing extraordinary with the procurement of the vehicle as it was approved by Parliament in 2015.
He dismissed allegations that the procurement was insensitive.
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There’s people who looks like anenterigent but they’re not. It is the part of making thier money, there’s no leadership in malawi. Because not even a single leader who thought a bout people suffering in the country, yet they know that things are not right just because their homes nothing to worry about everything is right.
I’m surprised that we are all crying this loud because of what this president or his government has done! You see, APM is obviously insensitive and arrogant but that should be hardly surprising. Once upon a time, there was one HKB who hailed from a rural village in Kasungu but trekked to, and lived most of his life in the West. When this guy returned and was entrusted to lead his country, he was hardly unrelated to the identity of his kinsmen – his dressing, his attitude towards his own people and, more importantly, his insatiable appetite for luxurious things!… Read more »
koma pita pita pita wayiwala mulungu kuti alipo
had it been that the president is performing we would’ve struggled to criticise this purchase but in light of the president’s poor performance in his capacity, this sort of spending is a cut too close to the bone. its bad judgement.
For the government a k104 million from a budget of 1 billion for a full fleet of cars, On has to think at a time of hardship why they would buy the most expensive car such as a Lexus, why not a Toyota? What is more shocking is that Joyce Banda sold off all the fancy gadgets such as the airplane and cars that this current president requires after living in the USA forty years. The Donors returned until civil servants employed by the previous government created cashgate. What I would like to know is what vehicles were in the… Read more »
Its a toyota lexus u dumbass
This vehicle is for the “Presidency” NOT Peter Mutharika – who do you want to cheat – tatopa ndi bodza lanulo. ifenso tinapita ku sukulu tikudziwa chowona chake – stop thinking that all Malawians are fools except yourselves. We also went through the corridors of University of Malawi and do not cheat in public like this. Why can’t you go politics and try your luck?. I hope you already know that you can not make it. Your friends tried it for several times, including JZU Tembo and was overturned. Try it and see for yourself – you can as well… Read more »
Transformative alliance how much money do you waste in conducting press briefings or pay the media to make useless noise when people in the villages are suffering. If you are really for the poor tell us where in Malawi do you stay tiwone location yanu, how many vehicles yourself do you have and how do you get the money? if you were really concerned about the poor and not power hungry you could have formed a grouping to fight hunger and not governance. Why is your groups formed by members booted out of government and DPP? That alone speaks volumes.… Read more »
Fuckin you be humane. You think transformative alliance is government that you should be comparing here you savage? Why can’t you accept facts as they are presented? Truth remains that this your Govt is useless and inconsiderate. A bunch of clueless hypocrites.
Inu a be humane, think twice before speaking out your mind, the State House is using our taxes that’s why we are alarmed. I don’t care how many Press conferences TA conducts, or how many vehicles TA has, we don’t give our taxes to TA, but government. Why is Peter Mutharika taking us for granted? Why do DPP supporters refuse to be criticized, this is bad….. worst leadership ever……sorry.
A Malawi?? What can US$136,000 do to alleviate hunger; poverty, and health in Malawi? I for one do not believe that I should sleep on the floor and go without food simply because my relatives have no food at home. I do not also believe that the whole country and structures should remain of low standard simply because the country is going through a rough parch. Take the case of Zimbabwe; our friends are still maintaining some roads through levies that they collect on daily basis. But in Malawi, we want subsidies in everything. At a certain point we shall… Read more »
Duck you too sir. That would go a long way. If you can’t see or deliberately choose to ignore that then you are ducked up in your HIV infected brain.
O………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………O Are some of us not vindicated now? . . . Did we not tell those who congratulated the govt (on purchasing a single vehicle) to keep watching this space as more cars would likely be added to the fleet? Truth is . . . . . . It was grossly wrong for this Parliament of Monkeys to approve a K1bn expenditure for replacement of the whole fleet of the Head of State; and even wrong, for APM to accept such betrayal of trust. . . . Nanga inu, is it not this very yesterday when APM pushed the price… Read more »
No hope