Blair divides opinion over Malawi advisor role: Chakwera asked to send him back
Malawians are telling President Lazarus Chakwera to send back the United Kingdom’s former prime minister Tony Blair who is in the country to be adviser to the Tonse alliance government of President Lazarus Chakwera.
The President’s key spin doctor, Sean Kampondeni says Blair and two other members of his Tony Blair Institute are indeed in the country to provide technical expertise and help build the capacity of the Chakwera-led administration.
Blair has always taken the view that government capacity, good governance and fighting corruption are vital to development.
State House communications director stressed that Blair’s work will be unpaid.
However, The Africa Report says Tony Blair’s funding model is that one third of its expenses is funded by third-world countries that seek its services.
But Malawians have taken up in various social media platforms, saying the government does not need the Tony Blair driven mini-Downing Street delivery units which is to motivate teams to operate at the centre of government, advising, cajoling, planning and delivering.
A social and political commentator, Onjezani Kenani said it is incorrect that the services they provide are at no cost to Malawian taxpayers.
“The last time they were here we were paying each of the eight people they brought an equivalent of K6.1 million per person per month. This is indisputable. We also gave each person a house and a car, with free fuel. This is also indisputable.
“They worked with the Joyce Banda government from 1 July 2012 to 31 January 2014, with nothing to show for it. This too is indisputable,” Kenani, an accomplished writer and an accounts professional, wrote on his Facebook wall.
Another critic Idriss Ali Nassah writes on his Facebook wall that a former cabinet minister in the Joyce Banda administration told him that the last time Malawi hired Tony Blair’s “experts”, “we didn’t want them, and didn’t need them. But the donors like such things. To be seen to be doing something to fix our systems, we hired them.”
He says the former cabinet minister said the Blair crew fixed nothing in the country in those two years.
“Nothing, to be honest with you. I think they were more interested to report what we were doing to whoever it is they report to. But to improve and fix our structure, nothing” Nassah quotes the former cabinet minister.
However, some social media commentators linked to the Tonse Alliance support the Blair advisory role, saying he will have an impact in Malawi this time around.
They argue that modern government is not about the traditional civil service, it is about getting things done. It is about effecting change.
Blair’s delivery unit concept has been exported in some countries in the African continent including Rwanda which has been successful.
According to Blair, unless African governments delivered, faith in fledgling democracies could quickly erode.
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Katengeni a Yaya Ku neno akuthangateni ma baranz inu
We dont want recolonisation by the Britons through the dull brains at the state house.What you know Mr president is copy and paste,fertiliser subsidy.Pay the civil servants! Kulira simunati.
As many may say, ‘we dont need them,’ but I have a different view; it depends on what strategy you want them to implement. Sometimes our mind are not visionary, in such cases we can’t see progress taking shape, for example; issues of reforms needs total commitment not just learning and keeping the ideas in the head but practical will bring a difference. We Africans, we like ever learning but very little to show. We wait others do things for us, not us doing the things; for example, we want someone to come all the way from Europe and teach us how to fish and we should be the beneficially of the proceeds. If we don’t then we say what has he done……
Koma a President atani Kodi? Nzeru zimenezi akuwapatsa ndani?, Akuluakulu athandizeni big Man
I thought we were ready to govern ourselves, but it seems we are not. Independence indeed??? We’re just depicting our stupidity and incompetence. Just ask the British to come back and rule the country as we have provided that we are not yet ready to manage by ourselves.
surely we need people like The Blairs to clean our rotten civil service, if don’t need azungu, then why do we still accept there budgetory support?
‘RWANDA’
CANT WE FOLLOW TANZANIA?
No need for foreign rubbish.
Half of the Tanzanian population (30 million people) live of less than 1,60 US$ per day. Journalists, musicians, politicians etc get jailed…, just in case you didn’t know.
Cry my beloved country. So there is nothing we can do without azungu. If that is the case then we don’t need Independence. Malawi ooh my Malawi.
Ready to with draw my support to Tonse if this Blair thing stays in Malawi, and I will lobby others to withdraw too.
We got our own Brains and we don’t need this Blair thing to organise ourselves.
Ubwino wake Zaka 5 nzochepa, simuyaya.
Most people comment without checking the facts. Blair Foundation works in 16 countries, in all these countries their services are a donation and have been very successful. Blair Foundation will not use a penny from Tax Payers money. Malawians stop this negativity if you want the country to move from poverty where it has been stuck for many years.
Do we need a foreigner to move
out mountains of poverty in Malawi? Really? .. What are Tony Blair’s achievement in the UK when was prime minister? .. Why didn’t he assist Zimbabweans during Mugabe reign? .. He is up to something else…Malawians are not negative.. The same way they said no APM is the same way we are saying no to Blair period.
We dont achieve anything beccause we listern to azungu too much.Structural adjustments was Nzungs plan, what did we achieve besides drowning in white rubbish of poverty more deeper. There always driving us to this and that through their conditions for every loan. More like go sell your garden or farm and i will give you a half bag of maize
Malawi has been independent for 64 years. See where we are, corrupt poor nation. Each of our leaders has failed Malawi. They have been corrupt. Getting a foreigner to advise where we are going wrong is not losing our independence. Munthu suona chitsotso m’diso lako, you always ask someone to look into your eye to see the problem. This is what the VP Chilima was talking about. Change the Mindset. We cannot continue blaming the colonials for our failures. We had 64 years to make our nation successful and may add with some assistance from the colonials but we squandered the help. Now we go to China to borrow money with so many strings attached including losing our minerals and other natural resouces.
Let’s be honest with ourselves we have failed and any help we get to put us on the right path should be welcomed.
Exactly! We need a mindset change. Since independence there we have had a number of leadership, all failed due to lack of good governance. It is high time to come to our senses and accept to be helped. This help comes from the experts who have successfully helped other countries. And it comes free as a donation! Should we decline support just because it is coming from a white person? Should we use an example of a failed Zimbabwe who were arrogant, but now are desperately calling for external aid?
It was weeks, now we are counting months. Soo it will be years wasted with nothing on the ground for our new government to show for development. Why Malawi why? Kwa Magufuli ndiye tinkakataniko? Did Magufuli need Blair’s advice to develop TZ? We really seem to be in the Joyce Banda era again. We need Chilima in the driving seat sooner than yesterday
Sure my man, I thought I wanted that alone, pls push on for Chilima.
Chilima tried and came with a mere 4 MPs….pa driving mukufuna akhalepo nanga simunamupatse ma MP ambiri bwa????/ vuto la anthu a UTM simuvota koma phokoso pa social media… Karonga Central yakuphonyaninso and that was a good litmus test for UTM nde muziti Chilima akhale pa driving seat, angokhalapo yekha opanda omuvotela???
Yes, Yes, Yes, to God Be The Glory!
Please as a matter of urgency, send the imbecile Tony Blair back to the UK.
We don’t need him, and we don’t want him in Malawi. Africa does not need that man.
Tony Blair is traitor, and an evil man. He is a devil incarnate.
He betrayed Libya before, by ‘permeating’ through the government systems of Libya, befriending Gaddafi, and after learning the ins and outs of the country, Tony Blair unmercifully killed Gaddafi.
It doesn’t make sense to any sensible and sane person to see the deranged Tony Blair having an eye on Malawi now, after all that we have been through in the last year or two.
Where was he when we were left alone to fight for our justice and freedom?
What sort of advice would one need from Tony Blair anyway? War on Libya?
If Tony Blair has any decency and passion for government advisory role, let him go to South Sudan or DRC, where he can help bring about peace in those war torn parts of Africa.
Certainly not Malawi, as we are peaceful and happy with all that our quintessentially Malawian judiciary, parliament and the executive has achieved without the helping hand of these conniving, calculating and evil minded likes of Tony Blair.
What went wrong for Dr. Chakwera to even consider having this colonialist near the State house, our government departments and the entire government machinery?
With all due respect, would Dr. Chakwera have access to the UK’s government departments, or even at Westminster abbey?
We have to remember that white people, especially the British are not our friends. They are not on our side
These people enslaved us, colonised us, have been looting our resources through common wealth, and all the purported charitable organizations and aid.
They create problems for Africa, and come up with a solution, so that we spend our hard earned money to them.
Please a ma Afrika, remember that all that a white person does is a by product of intensive planning, and calculated moves.
‘Mzungu alimbira mtunda opanda madzi’.
If Tony Blair wants, his another option is to go to Zimbabwe, and see if he will be able to sleep peacefully at nights there, as the late Robert Mugabe’s spirit would haunt him with every intent and purpose.
Robert Mugabe hated Tony Blair, due to Blair’s dominating, subjugation and patronising character.
Dr. Chakwera please listen to your people. Send Tony Blair back, and tell him that it was nice try,but unfortunately,we Malawians don’t want him near our government systems of our country.
If you ever need advise, Dr. Chakwera, you have the likes of Professor Lumumba, Rais Magufuli, or even Pastor Joshua Maponga, not forgetting Julius Malema, who has well meant intentions for Africa, not the twisted, corrupt and evil Tony Blair.
Tony Blair is supposed to be taken to the International Criminal Court for the crimes he committed to the people of Iraq and Libya.
Chonde Dr. Chakwera, pangani chokomera Mulungu, get rid of the evil and devilish Tony Blair out of the face of Malawi, and start associating yourself with only nobility.
Please do not sign any trade deals with Tony Blair or the UK government, as they are planning to introduce the new world order, and 666.
Koma ineyo sinaoneko chipani cha anthu amakani ngati mcp. Kukana chilichonse anthu akunena. Umboni ulipo koma ai ndithu
I said kampondeni was not being sincere to allege that this toilet blair was for free.i hate this man because he is one who led to the downfall of Zimbabwe. Chakwera needs blair because he is full like jb
please Dr chakwera do not listen to these social media critics, they are nothing but doofuses. Blair’s organisation failed during JB era due to dpp cadets who were sabotaging every effort of change. Blair’s organisation has a hand in Rwanda’s positive transformation, and it is in my conviction that with your governing system, this time around they will make a difference since cadets are hog-tied and paralysed.
Rwanda has progressed because of Kagame osati mukunenazo. Kagame has vision and focus.
You underestimate the capability of Kagame and his team. Blair probably did nothing in Rwanda, but these westerners always want to take credit where they did nothing. Do you know that they also report in their newspapers that the 2020 elections were a success because of their pressure on us…yet we all know they had nothing to do with it
We are dead as a country! Mmesa mmati mukudziwa where to touch for Malawi to prosper? Mmatinamiza kani? So we have hired a driver who doesn’t even know how to start the engine!! Shame!!
shame indeed…and laughable..
Atsamunda tisamawanvele zilizonse, remember John Chilembwe anawotcha belu kamba konvela atsamunda. Uyu Blair ‘lule’ siwachilungamo akulowetsani thengo
Wellcome Mr Blair,we have not progressed since Dr Hastings days,we need foreign investment to come in too..Rwanda is very successful indeed I have been there
You dont have foreigners giving advise in the white house or number 10. Why should we have these neocolonialists operating at state house and taking part in policy direction.
They can advise from wherever they are from. It sends a very bad picture Mr President, you are running a country not a diocese.
That’s very true. Tony Blair is the last person on planet earth to ask for advice from.
This man did the same to the Libyan government. He later betrayed Gaddafi and butchered him.
If Malawi will come to a point of invading another country, which l don’t think would happen, perhaps we will contact Tony Blair to advise us on that matter.
If Tony Blair wants, he can go to South Sudan or Democratic Republic of Congo, and try help those war torn parts of Africa.
We don’t want or need ‘ atsamunda’ at this age and time.
Kwawo gule kapande!