Contributions towards jet purchase for Malawi President

Sydney Ndembe, a self-professed well-wishing Malawian, has launched a fundraising campaign whose aim is to buy Pres Peter Mutharika an official presidential jet.

Ndembe who has pegged the price of purchasing the jet at an approximate K12 billion (US$20 million), has himself made a contribution of K200 000 towards the campaign.

Advertising in local press , Ndembe said it was shameful that “our president” was using public transport when on official errands like a nonentity.

“Have we no conscious at all? Are we not ashamed?” queried Ndembe, probably referring to Mutharika’s trip to the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government to which he used public transport and had to queue like others when switching planes at airports.

He argued that since the country was sailing in turbulent economic times, it was necessary for the citizenry to contribute towards the purchase of the jet.

“Why can we not contribute to the purchase of our own plane which no one will point our fingers at us for? Suppose we could contribute an amount of K120 000 each and assuming there are 100 000 people willing to contribute, this would cover the full amount,” wrote Ndembe in the advert.

He added: “Some well-wishers would be willing to offer more than this and in no time the twenty million dollars would be realized.”

Ndembe said he was “willing to put forward two hundred thousand kwacha as a starter pack.”

He would be setting up a committee and opening an account so that people could easily contribute.

Ndembe emphasized that there was “no politics involved in this and I don’t want politicians to hijack it.”

Former president late Bingu wa Mutharika’s government purchased a presidential jet which was sold during the Joyce Banda’s administration on grounds that it was too costly to manage.

Banda’s government sold the jet but government says there is no trace to where the proceeds of from the sale went.

A recent photo showing Mutharika stranded at an airport en route to the UK for a Commonwealth Summit has reinvigorated calls from some quarters that he needs an official jet.

But others argue still it is unnecessary to buy the president the jet, citing economic challenges.