Blair coming to harvest taxes of poor Malawi people, Chakwera wrong to entertain this nonsense – Critic
A social media activist Onjezani Kenani has lashed out at reports that former United Kingdom (UK) prime minister Tony Blair wants to set up an advisory office on governance results delivery at Malawi State House and the Office of the President and Cabinet, saying their activities will be opaque as they coming to feast on the poor people’s tax money.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (L) recruiting the people who will be paid for by the taxes of the poor in Malawi.
According to Tony Blair’s website, the Blair Institute is looking to set up a new project to support the government of Malawi to strengthen its delivery and implementation mechanisms.
Kenani took to Facebook to query Blair activities: “What do they mean, ‘strengthening delivery in the Presidency’? It means nothing. They are simply coming to harvest the taxes of the poor, like they did last time. All paid for by the poor people of Malawi. This is not right. President Lazarus Chakwera is wrong to entertain this nonsense.”
He noted that Blair Institute are already recruiting the people who will be paid for by the taxes of the poor in Malawi.
Blair has been criticised for being opaque.
“When [Peter] Mutharika stole the election, these people did not speak. Their newspapers – Africa Confidential and Foreign Policy – were busy laughing at our efforts to take the case to court.
“ When Mutharika tried to rape the constitution in the Chief Justice saga, these people did not say a word. The moment we won, they came running with all sorts of ideas, just so they can harvest taxes of the poor. Taking advantage of the fact that we consider anyone from Europe as better than ourselves,” wrote Kenani.
He further pointed out that President Chakwera has 21 advisors. Six of them – called Chief Advisors – are at the same rank as Cabinet ministers. They even drive the same types of vehicles, the Prados. The other 15 – special advisors – drive Toyota Fortuners.
“With such a phalanx of advisors, Dr Chakwera’s government still wants to bring in Tony Blair’s people. It would have been OK if they were to be paid by their own resources but no, we will be paying for everything.
“The poor who are sleeping on queues to buy fertilizers will be paying for everything. The poor without medicine and equipment in hospitals will be paying for everything. K700 million per year.
“This is sad. If you guys have run out of ideas to run this country just say so,” wrote Kenani.
TheTony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), a charity set up by the former prime minister, opened the same office in Malawi during the Joyce Banda administration but closed down soon after the K30 billion ‘cashgate’ corruption scandal emerged.
The AGI had been working closely with Mrs Banda and stepped up its “Malawi project” when it sent four advisers to the capital Lilongwe since July 2012 and the agreement was to support President Banda up to the presidential election in 2014.
Banda lost the elections but helped to propel the incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera to power through the Tonse Alliance and is a close ally to the Head of State.
The Blair Institute says will seek to strengthen connections with other key ministries and agencies both in the centre (the vice president’s office and the ministry of Finance and Economic Planning).
“Our Malawi team may extend to include advisors in these or other Ministries, depending on the sectoral priorities of the Presidency,” said the Blair Institute.
It said President Chakwera is looking to strengthen the capacity of his government to implement his vision for development, as outlined in his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) manifesto and in the manifestos of parties in his Tonse alliance.
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Blacks are also racists and when a white does it on us we cry like babies. As a former prime minister of the UK do you think he needs our money? Do you know what it takes to be a PM? They don’t practice the Buluma, Nankhumwa, Mchacha and Fyness politics of poverty.
Ngati kuli zina mwa mbuuuuzi pano padzkoko lapansi,ndiye Jo-galuwafa ndi anzake omwe samudziwa bwino Blair.
Mulibe iliyonse mmitu mwawo anthu otelewa
Ndipo alikagulu ndithu.
Bibi yeni yeni. This Chakwera guy is full of stinkers
Kenani has lost it this time. Blair Foundation is not going to be paid by Malawi Government, their services are a donation to Malawi, in addition they will employ Malawians to do the job. Other successful countries such as Rwanda and Kenya are benefiting from their services. Malawians, please stop the spirit of Jelousy, there is indeed need for a mindset change if the country is to develop.
Kulitu mbuzi, mabulutu kuno Ku Malawi. Educated fools. Stupid self proclaimed experts in negativity.
[spoiler title=”We want a constructive politics. Whats wrong with Tony to support Malawi he has got his won money than Malawi “] [/spoiler]
Mabi basi. If he has his money let him sit back and eat that money
Everyone in Malawi now has a doctorate including Akweni. What r all these doctorates for? Meaningless. By the way Tony Blair doesn’t have a doctorate. Just saying. These are the ramifications of a lost and adrift administration totally bereft of ideas and still looking for colonialism to solve their problems. Why didn’t we elect Tony Blair to be President in the first place. It would have been more efficient and more productive, no? Why are all the Civil servants and so called advisors drawing salaries? What is the cabinet for? Just to wear suits and fancy attire and pretend to speak American English? Malawi is fatally doomed to mediocrity by the incompetence and emptiness of its leaders! Case closed
Ooooh, Dr. chakwera why betray your people by connecting with this evil man.
What sort of advice on governance would you get from Tony Blair?
Why didn’t you seek advice from the likes of Professor Lumumba or any sane political African person, without any ill intentions towards black people?
Tony Blair, and his counter part Boris Johnson are about to introduce the macho laws, 666, and the new world order.
Next year ( 2021) is going to be a very tough years.
Kodi mudzamva liti kuti azungu siyali mbali yathu,ndi adani athu?
Stop stooping so low to white people. These people enslaved us, colonised us, have been looting our resources through common wealth, Christianity and humanitarian aid and many more ways.
Africa, please do know that you have no friend, especially do not expect any friendship from the West.
These Wazungus are killers, and have nothing good planned for black people, especially the continent of Africa.
They are currently busy developing covid 19 vaccines, so that all the African countries should buy from them, and in so doing we should continue getting poor and poor.
It is high time, just as Raid Magufuli, to tell these Wazungus that we don’t not need them, refrain from making any trade deals with them, and stop listening to their bullshit.
Dr. Chakwera, as much as we respect you, this time around, please you have sold the souls of your people, and the land of Malawi will never be a peaceful land ever again.
Perhaps, you should carry out referendum on issues concerning Malawi and her people, before making your own and lonely decisions.
Musadzati simunawuzidwe… The likes of Boris Johnson, and Tony Blair and harassing their own people in the UK, taking the citizens liberties, while pretending to combat Covid 19, while the truth is that they plan to introduce macho laws, the new world order, 666, and subjugate the whole world.
don’t bring facebook issues into this news sites, you are losing your credibility. serious analysis or critics creates their own domains not facebook. those are mere noise makers and attention seekers. by the way who is onjezani kenani, how old is he, wayenda maiko angati, wagwirako ntchito mu boma for how long? stop this nonsense nyasatimes. mukutipangisa manyazi kwabasi. people without any experience poti amatha chizungu basi azitipangira phokoso.
You are wrong mate. If only you knew who Tony Blair is, and what evil plans these Wazungus have by and large, you would be ashamed to write what you have just written.
Boris Johnson, and all these Tony Blairs are busy taking the liberties of their own citizens in the UK, and will soon be introducing the new world order, Macho Laws and vaccines.
They have ill intentions and not good for our country. We live in the UK, and know a lot of the evils these people are planning to do.
Malawi is at peace now, and definitely do not Tony Blair’s advice or assistance in governance whatsoever.
Kodi mudzamva liti or realise that azunguwa siyali mbali yathu, ndi adani athu, and have ill intentions towards black people, especially the continent of Africa.
They busy developing covid 19 vaccines so that our countries should buy from them, thereby enriching themselves, while Africa remain poorer and poorer.
Wake up people. Vukani a ma Afrika. Dzukani a Malawi.
U do not have to be an expert to speak on matters that affect you besides all the points raised by the man are based on facts if u don’t agree counteract with your own facts..but bringing up his age,work experience and the platforms he chooses to create awareness on does not actually mean anything but making you sound emotional..
am also puzzled with nyasa time obsession with these facebook self made analysis. just because they have double figure blind followers or gossip hungry followers its an accreditation that they are expert on everything. these people are just empty headed individuals with no vast knowledge in topic they jump into. they are people who have failed to get job in well known media houses or NGOs and they have nothing but to spend much time on social media pretending to be working.
Stanley onjezani Kenani is an objective international civil servant don’t comment on personalities that you don’t know… He is a social commentator who calls a spade by its name, a kamuzu academy and polytechnic trained accountant, a kamuzu relation from kasungu but he is first a malawian before he is a chewa and doesn’t support mcp blindly like some of you who think Tony Blair can change our fortunes when he is a guy who contributed to the mess that the world is in by pursuing weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein didn’t have and u trust such a lunatic who is guided by illusions to advise Malawi on delivery of democracy, son of a bitch!
Why do we take these stupid whites to be more superior than blacks .when u live with them u realise that all that glitters ain’t gold
When did u ever hear white governments importing African politicians to come help them run their government
ASATI PUSITSE AWA
TO HELL
kodi tinatani??? tili serious kukoza dziko.
kuno ku Mw timapeleka
Nyumba
Cigalimoto mafuta ake
Garden boy
Maid
Londa
zokudya every week
ma units a phone
Allowances
can we build schools and give proper shelter to these malawian kids akuphuzila panja.
It will be a shame to see the Govt officials kukaona komwe Mvula yaononga kaya ma school building or ovulala. NO SHAME???????MET DEPT alengeza za nyengo nthawi ikubwerayi. ARE WE TOGETHER. Pano tili busy kushainila coz of dzimagalimoto dzopuma.
maiko ena kulibe zimenezo.
nde dziko tikonza????????
Kkkkk bwana Chakwera where is the HI5 look now ur bringing Tony Blair back to Malawi after he failed during JB time maybe try Chinese to be ur Consultant not these pipo kkkkkkk my Malawi shame
Guys connect the dots… Tony Blair comes and chakwera wants to send MDF to Mozambique. Wasn’t Blair and Bush who started the war in Iraq because of oil. Now that they have found natural gas there in Mozambique Blair wants to use Malawi to fight a proxy war because it would be all too much if a western military would come and “conquer” the gas because that would be obvious. The other thing that we need to look at is what defence benefits will gov be getting since they are fighting a proxy war for big Big energy companies. Malawi gov should tread carefully on this. Where is gift “loud mouth” trapence?
Chakwera osamangovomela zilizonse. Of what importance are these jokes of people. We don’t need a foreigner in state house to be able to provide good governance… We know what to do for Malawians. Atayeni achina Blair.
I don’t support Chakwera, I don’t support Blair coming here,but this kenani guy is a dunderhead. Who eats whose money? Let’s be constructive and with merited facts when criticising. Don’t speak when heads are boiling with emotions
Funny comment isn’t it? As a country, are we not relying on the likes of the UK for our survival? So who’s living on who’s tax payers money?
If you still think the trikles from UK is Aid, then I humbly request you to go back to primary school to learn about Slave Trade. World Economics is alien to you.
Go clap Hands for your colonial master!
Why don’t you make your own trikles then? Still going to your former colonial MASTERS with a begging bowl, PATHETIC.
And where did you learn economics? From slave/colonial masters. Did you know any economics ku mphanga?
iwe nde kabwafu di. Do you know economics? every day life involves economics even to the illiterate. dont be confunsed with supply n demand terms. its been there even before your poor white “heroes” came here
APM managed to run affairs in the absence of their meagre monetary baits. So shut your stinking chimbuzi because you seem to follow a fellow blind person. Mind you, the country belongs to everyone and not a minority tribe whereby you will use us like Pawns on a chase board, and apparently the finances you intend to play with is taxes paid in by all of us and possibly I pay more than yourself.
Tony Blair enabled “W” to go into the disastrous Gulf War II. He has been trying very hard to make himself relevant again since, but nobody would touch him with a ten-foot pole. That’s why he’s in our country, yavi-yavi, trying to tell us what to do. Mxii! Akagwere!
Somehow I do see some meaningful sense in bringing these people in the country. Sometimes you need a foreign eye in these matters. Now here is the thing; our friend in the western world are objective, efficient and professional. They have no time to miss appointment for useless reasons. They are excellent timekeepers – not tikumane cha m’ma two. No they say 2 pm and that’s. The point is that we have a lot as Malawians to learn from our friends across the globe. In fact my point of view is that Malawi Government should go further with this – there should be a staff exchange programme. Let the Brits come and head some our parastatals and departments while we also export some of our own to do the same in the UK just to leverage some learning and experiential building. My thoughts!
Iwe nde uti, Sean Kampondeni?
Sending some of our own to UK to head departments there. Are you kidding, dreaming or what?
We have shortfalls in service delivery as a nascent democracy. In the long term, this consultancy outreach will translate into better outcomes and usage of the public purse for the general good of the nation. Quality doesn’t come cheap. Those against this move should suggest viable alternatives Hiding xenophobic attitudes behind nationalism in a globalised space is not the solution
But from experience and current state of affairs you should know that the west operates on exploitive level when it comes to dealing with Africans…what we need is self empowerment to realise that we can achieve things at a higher level and not looking for a saviour because Africans don’t have friends..
The only alternative is to change the govt to people who are more imaginative and resourceful. And in any case, what is the Civil Service, Chilima to whom that is his docket, and all the so called doctorate holders and advisors doing and getting paid for?
iwe nkhani yake nde iti? pali za exchange visits apa? galu iwe eti
This is the second time around. They were there from 2012 to 2014. Now can they show us the successes of the JB era. Was JB always on time. Were finances being used prudently when she was on the road every day donating goats and cows. How did they help since cash gate happened under Blairs consultancy. SKC has never lived outside Malawi but is always on time and very prudent. A white man can not solve a black man’s problems and that’s they approach that has helped Rwanda.
When shall we ever stop worshipping these pinkies? Atsogoleri athu chonde tithandizeni. Africa needs to regain his (only Africa is male) lost glory and please don’t take us back to the days when our great fathers lost the worth of the land to pink people for a packet of sugar!
Some Malawians are either isolationist or simply racist. Blair is not ‘harvesting poor people’s taxes’. If anything Malawi harvests the taxes of poor UK people (a fifth of children in the UK live in poverty according to the UN, but 70% of government function is paid for by foreign cash, mostly from the UK and US).
Problem is, Malawi has a tiny tax base. At the same time people who are working untaxed have the cash to buy land and build houses (something only the very rich can do in the UK)
Much of this is a feature of the dependency that Malawians have grown up on, and which Chakwera is trying to eradicate. Someone earning over 100,000 mwk is not poor. Those earning more than this should be paying income tax so that roads can be repaired and built in underserved areas of the country. In addition the wealthy in Malawi have some of the lowest tax rates in the world (30% tax rate, lower than the tax rate of the poorest in the UK). So, rich Malawians shouldn’t be paying tax to help the country, but foreigners should be taxed heavily to help Malawi?
Are u a Malawian or ? You seems not to appreciate the depth of our poverty. Look here, K100,000 monthly income is nothing in Malawi. Meaningful salaries in Malawi start at a net Salary of K500,000.00 to afford a basic decent life. When we say we are poor we mean it.
Erik, this is nothing to do with racism or isolationism. The question here is what value will Tony Blair’s organisation add to Malawi to justify spending MK700 million a year paying these so called consultants? What a shame! Is it not like milking an already thin cow!
Who are you, Brian Banda?
You surprise me!
There is no country in the world that ever got well off from tax collection…wealth is built by transforming raw material into products…tax is collected in different ways where there is large amount of informal trade and if a foreign investor is to pay tax ofcourse he won’t be paying in the same form and manner as the average malawina on road…I’ve never come across any info that says UKs taxpayer money is being sent to Malawi for aid so I don’t know where u got that…
MALAWI SHOULD NEVER BE A COLONY AGAIN