AU chair won’t make Malawi rich, says Mutharika
Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika has said his election as chairman of the African Union (AU) would not make Malawi to be rich.
“There won’t be any chunk of money flowing into the country because we have assumed the chairmanship of the AU,” said Mutharika, Thursday on his return from the 14th African Union Summit where Malawi took over the chairmanship from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
“Our benefits would come when I as chairman of the Union travel to different countries to meet different heads of state and organisations,” the Malawi leader told a news conference at Kamuzu International Airport in the capital city, Lilongwe.
Finance Minister Ken Kandodo told parliament this week that Mutharika’s elevation to AU presidency will raise Malawi’s profile globally and “this should have beneficial effects on our economy.”
But Mutharika told journalists frankly: “After transacting the business of African Union, I will take an opportunity to address challenges that our different sectors of the economy are experiencing; and that would be our major benefit. However, after the end of our tenure of office, we will evaluate the benefits.”
Parliament which is sitting in the capital city, Lilongwe for a mid-term budget review had to adjourn the business to allow members to welcome the AU chairman.
The finance minister asked parliament to approve K500 million for Mutharika’s activities as AU chairman and K450 million to host a conference of African Finance and planning Ministers next month.
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.
Paul Kwengwere, Economics Association of Malawi vice chairperson 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.
We are missing the point here. Mutharika and all those that support the AU chairmanship should hang their heads in shame. They have sold poor malawi to the dogs. How can our country afford to spend an extra MK1 billion for activities that will not benefit this country at all?
We are being taken for granted. Our future is highly compromised. Malawi made a horrendous mistake in re-electing mutharika to a second term. Malawi will pay dearly. If you do not believe what i am saying, see the facts for yourself;
how many hospital beds can that money buy?
how man ambulances can that money buy?
how many roads can be finished with that money?
how many community secondary schools can be built on that sum?
how many primary schools can be improved on that money?
how many doctors can be encouraged to stay in the country if that money was used to boost doctor salaries?
how many health centres can be built and staffed on that money?
how many companies, genuine companies started by hard working malawians with great ideas who are dying of lack of capital?
how many houses can that money build? over 5000 mid size houses, no?
how many irrigation schemes can be built on that?
how many teachers can be trained on that?
Mutharika has lost direction. I orignally opposed Mutharika’s AU chair bid because i knew the president would spend a lot of time on AU issues, and malawi would come second, and now this, MK1 billion is too much to stomach!
Now they adjourn parlimant to welcome the AU chair. This is what its all about, selfish egos that elevates a person to god-status. Mutharika is not god, he is a frail old man who is slowly losing his marbles. How can someone who claims to have a PHD and educated advisors betray Malawi like this?
The President is absolutely right. But that does not mean that Malawi could have refused the offer.
The fact that all countries in Africa unanimously agreed that Malawi should chair this organ, it means that they believe that we have got something that we can share with our counterparts, though we are poor.
I think we are missing the point here. Does it mean that Malawi will not chair any international organization until we become a rich country? However, i totally agree with these concerns that my fellow malawians have raised. I think that’s why the president has come out to clarify on this issue lest we think this position has got economic benefit for our country.LETS JUST WAIT AND SEE.
Wa dada Nyirenda the fact is that those other countries are clever enough to understand that their economies are not roburst enough to start wasting money in this way.
Do you remember that we as a nation have $100 million stack in Zimbabwe because of the very same stupid politicians who do not care about poor Malawians in the villages.
The problem with most Malawians is that we are not civilised enough to understand that we are being taken for granted by our leaders. Leaders who can do anything they want with the public money knowing that they can not be taken to task by the general public, wake up Malawians!!
Just after bingu was elected, in my comment, i said so many negative things that will arise and push this country’s economy below the sea level, but nyasa chose to dump my comment so that people mustn’t know what they are approaching. I think it was useless, otherwise, truth is indeed an offence.
This AU organisation is just useless. That’s why other presidents didn’t want to waste their time with this, that’s why they pushed it to bingu.
Bingu is the only malawian who will benefit from this AU no-one else. Look bingu says malawi will not get rich out of that, still more they need K500m. I don’t think even rich countries have money to waste.
The truth is that this GVT has found a trap that will help it hooking out tax money.
Unless your are blind and deaf, don’t approve this nosense.
A Malawi ,why are we like Ana a Israel mu chipululu ndi Mose.Always complaining.God is leading Malawi to greater heights.Can u tell me what the nation gained for the participation in AFCON?Yet the country was very thankful for that opportunity.Do you understand the Maslow’s hierarchy of personal/national needs?Even respect is important.If our leaders will find an advantage of visiting many African nations,some of solutions to our national needs may just be within our African neighbours.Actually that will be worth more the lamented 500 million budget.Do not have a Chicken VISION,have an EAGLES view-Dream in Colour.
awuzeni amenewa kulankhula too much…..
A Malawi ,why are we like Ana a Israel mu chipululu ndi Mose.Always complaining.God is leading Malawi to greater heights.Can u tell me what the nation gained for the participation in AFCON?Yet the country was very thankful for that opportunity.Do you understand the Maslow’s hierarchy of personal/national needs?Even respect is important.If our leaders will find an advantage of visiting many African nations,some of solutions to our national needs and problems may just be within our African neighbours.Actually that will be worth more than the lamented 500 million budget.Do not have a Chicken VISION,have an EAGLES view-Dream in Colour.
Munthalika lobbied for the chairmanship of AU. Nobody offered it to him. In fact South African president turned it down due to the cost of hosting such a position. Once a country assumes the position it is that country’s responsiblilty to cover travel hotel and the rest of the required expenses for the chairman. Since Munthalika is the chairman he has to attend all the AU activities which means more expenses. Where will all this monety come from? For some reason others are talking about benefits that will eminate from Bingu having been the chair man of AU. Nada!! I mean ZIP!! absolutely nothing will come out of this. It is mere madness for Bingu to even dream that our country will benefit. If anything it is just an excuse for this government to embazzle even more funds from tax payers in the name of expenses for the AU. At least Gaddafi had the resources to support a position like this one. So Malawians you need to wake up and protest this crazy man mad actions!!
BusinessGene I find your arguments very unhelpful. Whether the chairmanship of AU brings us anything or nothing is not at all important. Malawi has been independent for over 40 years. If we failed to build hospitals, schools, roads etc in 40+ years you cannot say one year’s sponsorship of AU activities can mend all the holes that failed to fill in 40+ years.
I would rather see people who have no argument stay quiet and watch things than advance empty arguments.
This position raise the profile of Malawi nation. You don’t know how many people (from other countries) admire us and our leader. You just need to associate a bit more to understand what a blessing the nation of Malawi has in Dr Mutharika’s leadership. Choose to close your eyes for you will fall into a pit and you have yourself to blame. For some of us we even would like to put on sight spectacles to see more and for me I would rather wear a condom to live longer so to see more.
I hope you are myopic. The guy is trying to push sense into senseless people like you. He is lamenting about the 1 billion we are to spend on thi fake PhD holder who masquerade himself as president. Raising profile out of tax payers’ money. Actually I wish him dead
my friend 40 yrs of no dev becos of ppl like you who every year find a need that is not important to the majority just you the minority, so that when you go kunja, which majority cnt afford, people should say i know malawi they have au pres.
does that help my relative get a bed in hospital, save my nephew from quota due to unavailability ofmore universitys? no.
maslows heirachy of needs proves the ruling rich are at a stage of aesthetic stage but not malawi, the country is just above if not on basic needs. we need to be wastin 95% of funds like these on schools, hospitals and breeding entreprenuers
psi