Bingu blows US$337,000 on foreign trip
As the Malawi economy continues to suffocate due to an acute forex shortage, President Dr Bingu wa Mutharika has drawn US$337,000 for his trip to Italy, Trinidad and Tobago as well as Spain.
The money has been drawn on government accounts at National Bank, cleared through the Reserve Bank of Malawi, Nyasa Times understands.
A source at the Government Treasury has told Nyasa Times that the President has been excessive in drawing such a huge amount especially considering the forex shortage in the country.
“US$337,000 has been drawn by the President to cover the trip and his entrounge and this is unprecedented in such difficult forex shortage times,” said the well-placed source.
Mutharika left the country on Sunday for Rome, Italy to attend the World Food summit organized by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
On departure, President Mutharika disclosed that from Rome, he will proceed to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago for this year’s Commonwealth Summit.
The Commonwealth is a grouping mainly of countries formerly colonized by the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II is the symbolic head of the multi-national organization.
The President left in the new presidential jet which has been purchased at the price of about US$15 million. This transaction, however, is shrouded in secrecy.
Finance Minister Ken Kandodo could not comment on any of these matters, nor would new Secretary to the Treasury, Joseph Mwanamvekha, until recently Chairman of the president’s Mulhako wa Alhomwe ethnic organization.
shameeeee!
This president seems to be more useless than Chair. Sukulu pena siithandizanso. How can he draw such alot of money at the expense of poor Malawians. He is full of shit!!!!!!!!!!!!
School only doesn’t do good leaders. Good leaders are those who are honest with themselves and the others.
So what do you think we should do, b/c we had mbutuma yakuba, pano tili ndi ophunzira zikukanikanso.
to me these two official at the helm of the all-important ministry of finance appear to be more of figureheads than either figures or heads
As long as he is doing it for malawi then the spending is justfiable, to be poverty stricken does not mean that the president must not attend to his duties, remember he is the first citizen, he desrves the best, Ngati mabvuto akula ku Malawiko ndiye tulukani mukayese maiko ena , osati kwango khalila kulira and critising Bingu, msiyenu mnzanu adyerere thikuta lake, he is 75years old, he has missed alot in his life.This is the only time he is spending 10 years consecutively without working in a foreign country.
Muti chani???? Vichi??? Ichoni Mweee… nichinshi
Does he not diserve the trips? If he does, then how do you expect him to travel without such expenses? Abale pena tiyeni tiyaziyang’ana nkhanizi ndi chilungamo. Osangopeza zifukwa popanda chifukwa chenicheni ayi koma nenani pamene palakwika. Be responsible citizens by saying the trueth. Yes forex is a problem but the link to the presidential trips is iltimed. the only best solution is to devalue the kwacha alittle bit now so that we can have some forex.
We have suffered indeed, this Bingu desease has to be checked with urgency.
how can a sane president be as extravagant as that…. we are in a crisis GOD please save us from the claws of this rabid tiger.
The economic engineer is able to buy a jet at such an alarming cost and after that borrows money from a regional bank to purchase fuel! The end will tell.
kodi anthu inu mukufuna iyeyo asapite ku ma meeting ofunikira? I thought these are FAO and Commonwealth meeting?? Ndiye mukufuna akagone pa train station ati chifukwa kulibe forex?? ma crook ndi amene akubisa forex cholinga azigulitsa pa black market, ma bank mu ali ndi anthu awo a pa ziboloboli amakatenga ndikugulitsa anthu wambafe, amalawi ndife otengeka, timalorela kugulitsa malo kwa mwenye bola tidyepo
Mbuzi imadya pomwe ayimangilira, mufuna kuti azitenga 2 tambala?