Chilima denies whingeing on foreign trips: Malawi VP says no gulf with President Mutharika
Malawi vice president Saulos Chilima says he is not a “cry baby” to be whingeing about foreign trips from President Peter Mutharika as has been widely speculated.
He said news outlets and social media got it all wrong that he was not happy; assuring the nation there is no bad blood between him and his boss.
Chilima said this on Tuesday after an abrupt cancellation of a scheduled news conference which was to be held by Information minister Jappie Mhango and Foreign Affairs minister George Chaponda.
Some of news outlets have been peddling rumours that the relationship of the President and his vice is not cordial.
Malawi News report last Saturday also fuelled the speculation with their story claiming Mutharika is sidelining Chilima and giving more preference to Chaponda – widely believed to be aspiring to succeed the President.
“There is no rift, there is no fight between me and the President,” said Chilima, carefully picking his words.
Malawi News reported assertions by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) and academic Mustapha Hussein saying President Mutharika is side-lining Chilima simply because he sometimes delegates cabinet ministers to attend foreign events.
However, the Vice President pointed out that the issue has been taken out of context by those whose motives are nursed by rumour- mongering and falsehood.
“This allegation is unfortunate and premised on hearsay intended to spread mischief and spark disaffection in the cordial relationship that I and the President enjoy,” he said.
Chilima said he came into office, President Mutharika assigned him seven foreign trips therefore it was bizarre to think the same President is sidelining him on foreign trips.
He said in this cost cutting measure era, it would be senseless to delegate him for foreign international conferences because as vice president, he also takes with him a considerable contingent, including his security detail.
The vice president said he could not be assigned to the much talked India trip because he had already been assigned another trip to the US almost the same time.
“So logistically it was impossible to travel to India. We are also mindful of cost implications because I travel with a contingent. He can delegate me yes but in terms of savings, we can save only a little,” he said.
Chaponda led a dozen other cabinet ministers for the India Africa summit which was held in India. Mutharika cancelled the India trip as a cost cutting measure.
Since coming into office some 18 months ago Chilima has made close to eight foreign trips upon delegation from the President.
Only months into office, the Vice president travelled to Kenya, Singapore, South Africa and Botswana with his entourage. President Mutharika delegated him to meet key government officials in respective destinations in a bid to have first hand feel of how public sector reforms are being carried out.
Chilima also travelled to Pretoria, South Africa on a second trip when President Mutharika delegated him to attend the SADC extraordinary meeting aimed at resolving the political crisis in Lesotho. Outside public sector reforms and the SADC delegation, the Vice President also travelled to Israel when President Mutharika sent him to meet irrigation experts and government officials. This trip was in line with the President’s dream of turning Malawi into an exporting nation through agro-manufacturing and massive irrigation among other thematic areas.
Just some months, President Mutharika delegated several assignments to Chilima when he went to United States where went to attend the launch of Leadership Council of Compact2025 under the International Food Research Institute (IFRI).
In October, Chilima was delegated to travel to Zambia on that country’s Independence Day celebrations and Tanzania where he represented Malawi at the inauguration of John Magufuli as Tanzania new President.
The only trip that the Vice President travelled not under delegation of President Mutharika is when he went to United Kingdom to defend his doctoral thesis and later to be conferred upon a doctorate academic status
Chilima strongly dismissed the allegations of a gulf with the President.
He said in the wake of austerity measures which the President is championing, “it is not economically prudent to expect a vice president to be always delegated in the event that the President is not travelling.”
The vice president is appealing to the general public and other stakeholders to avoid sensationalising issues at the expense of the nation.
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abale zina kambu zina leku in all fairness who was supposed to attend the india/africa summit on behalf of the president…..just ask yourself and answer honestly
Peter and Chilima are civilised to them There is no news here.
Just keep working akakhala galu kuyang.ana mkwake.
I believe that given a chance, Saulos can magufulify this country.
What do you expect Chilima to say in public!!
Mr Veepee Chilima Malawians should be concerned with your relationship with the president because if all is not well it is them who from 2019 will be funding your hefty early retirement for life which is a drain on our meagre resources. You see what in a perfect world Malawians would not have any retired veepee. Muluzi shud hav handed over to Malewezi in 2004 and Malewezi to Bingu {assuming he was his vice} 2014 and Bingu to Joyce Banda in 2024. But you see now in stead of having no retired Veepee we may have 4 in 2019 if your relationship with the president is not good. And 4 retired Veepees in 25 years is not good for this poor country. On related note Malawians do we know that as the laws are today a president can rule for 3 consecutive terms? If a president elect is dead before being sworn in his Veepee elect will be sworn in instead but that term will not be counted. Please parliament help us to rectify this annomally because with our nepotism I can smell a would be dictator running mate doing this.
VP can be sworn in but can only be head of state for 60 days within which he must call for a general election.
VP can only run a president’s full term if that president dies after serving beyond half way.
Hey Jack thot its cast in stone that our general elections will ONLY happen on third Tuesday of May 5 years after the previous general elections?
Sindikudziwa kuti ufulu wa anthu olemba nkhani unachuluka bwanji? Amangolemba nkhani zodanitsa anthu osaganizira mavuto amene amabwera pamene anthu sakigwirizana. Dziko lathu likufuna anthu olimbikitsa mgwirizano kuti chitukuko chipite patsogolo. Muluzi ndi Bingu unakula chifukwa cha olemba nkhani, Bingu ndi Chilumpha, komanso Bingu ndi Jb chimodzi modzi. Amene amatsatira current affairs ku Malawi kuno akhoza kuvomerezana nane kuti olemba nkhani athu amakolezera kwambiri kuti atsogoleri athu adzikayikirana. Tiyeni tiwonetse kuti tinalowa mkalasi kukaphuzira ukachenjede wa ntchito yathu. Muzitengera anzanu a BBC, sayang’ana ma personalities amunthu koma ntchito yomwe wagwira.
Aface can tell a story same here we know wat is happening the vp is sidelined even without alankhani we can see openly
deep down the heart. aka clause knows what is going on. after all it is not just foreign trips, even the so called development rallies or whatsoever sakumapezekamo. by the way mdima ndi kuwala sizikhala pamodzi
Saulosi iwe. Iyi ndi DPP. Kunali Chilumpha, JB, Malewezi and even Khumbo. Onsewa zinatha bwa? Sumuona Chaponda akuchalira mpando wa APM. Iwe ndi mulako ngati.
What else can chilima say? He cannot publicly say he is being sidelined. The only comforting thing is that as VP Muthalika cannot sack him. Any objective Malawian knows that APM is sidelining Chilima.In Chilima should be 1st vice president of DPP. Furthermore Chilima knows very well he and APM are badly failing Malawians as far as the economy is concerned. Both APM and Chilima have no clue on how to revive the economy. However Chilima has no power to do anything. The Kwacha is losing value, inflation at 24% is driving the majority of Malawians into poverty and interest rates at 45% are prohibitive. Since APM and Chilima took over in May 2014 the majority of Malawians are suffering.
ukumunamidza ndani ndiwe cry baby iwe
DPP just used Chilima. We all can see. Mukukana chiani? Without Chilima DPP sikana wina. Anthu oipa ! A satana inu a Dpp
Same old story
nonsense ama news zina nkhani amangolemba kuti agulise basi za ziiii.
This is a miriage where superficial working relations strive and its a matter of time where true colors will be revealed.
Pali anthu ena pamene pali mtendere sakondwa. They want VP and APM kuti adane.
Goodalll and chuka have to resign the economy is in shambles inflation os out of control kwacha trading to dollar at 690 what is chuka doing is apm monitoring the performance of our governor he is doing a miserable job how can we control inflation when we have lost 50 percent of our value for currency through devaluation. Chuka has signed a deal with exporters like limbe leaf jti mota so they can send there exports proceeds in full to there own countries this is making kwacha fall. Chuka is making a lot of money from these exportes for this deal as exporters are making huge profits when the kwacha devalues so chuka is taking a cut
VUTO LOBELA LIMODZI NDILIMENELO SIMUMACHEDWA KUKANGANI WINA AMATI NDINE AMENE NDINAPANGITSA KUTI TIWINE OSATI IWE KIKI! THERE IS NO SECRET UNDER THE SUN KIKI!
I think all people knows the trend in which the president and his/her vice relationship has been in malawi. Malewezi and Bakiri, Chilumpha and Bingu, Joyce Banda and Bingu, Kachari and Joyce Banda, so Chilima knows better that he will never become a president of this nation under DPP ticket.
Mwezi asani wawala, atiufyole khosi chaa…. tiviwonengi po vimaliyengi…
Something stinks eehh!
watching things unfold
This is correct no 11, I do not see Henry Mussa, and all other bunch of ministers being deligated. DPP must trade carefully, if they always think only Lomwe can win elections Peter is not popular in Malawi. Lets wait and see Chilima was the right person for any other functions in place of President.
CCJP & Mustapher Hussein u r big fools! R u trying 2 draw People’s attention simply because u hav run out of Ideas? Don’t confuse Malawians with ur Stupidity!
Koma chilima needa to take care afunse malewezi chilumpha and kachale ma vip ku Malawi most of the times position and their relationship with the ruling president szimakhala bobo zimakhala mistrust and a chipani pakhani ya succession zimavuta so my friend chilima we must always have plan b by the way l miss you at bandiro and this city centre place ufumutu nthawi zina zabwno zimakuputa happy xmas to you and our HE ife timalemekeza asogoleri muzigwilizana mwamva all the best to the two of you amen
THE SELFISH AND NEPOSTIC LOMWELISATION POLICY OF THESE MUTHALIKAS IS AT WORK UNLESS IF VP CHILIMA CHOOSES TO BE BLIND…..
Lets wait and see, 2019 is not far. We are going to see who is fooling who here. Malawians are not fools, they can see when things are NOT going the way they should be. Chaponda and Mwanamveka are featuring more on trips than any other ministers combined.
Knowing DPP , there is no way a non Mulhako can succeed APM.They want maintain the status quo, Mulhako style. But DPP are fooling themselves, Malawians will never allow one tribe to rule us for eternity!!
If Chaponda thinks he is good enough to be VP, then why did APM not choose him as a running mate??
Saulosi is doing a good job and has earned the trust of Malawians. He deserves better.
Mr Chaponda for president? Eish , my fellow Malawians I think its time we let old people to go and rest , play with their grandchildren.
Don’t worry Mr. VP. It’s divide and rule strategy. Don’t give them a chance, otherwise they will succeed in their tactics. We know you are and will be in good relationship with the President. And I believe those enemies also know this. Once again, never give them even an inch to achieve their goal. Continue working as a team with APM. Malawi likes this team.
No smoke without fire.
Speculation up on speculation! When someone has nothing to write for his news paper, they just think of anything provided it is about politics news.
That’s how pathetic our media is and we are yet to see all rubbish and 1/4 baked news once information bill is passed! Nyo! Media Malawi stinking baby milk!
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It hurts to be Malawian, sometimes!
. . . We are a nation of little busy bees working on nothings and producing somethings out of nothings. Creating order where there is no order. Confusion where none exists! A storm out of a tea cup!
. . . Always belittling our friends’ achievements and ululating and celebrating when misfortune befalls a friend! Shameful!
. . . Its embarrassing how we have reduced ourselves to a nation of gossip experts, expatriates and consultants. Telling and distorting stories as if we are eye witnesses. . . . Allowing the gossip to rob us of our eyes hence seeing hills where there are valleys.
. . . We waste time gossiping about others while those others continue to succeed and prosper in their daily endeavours and we remain where we are and sometimes even worse than we were! Sad!
“I have always believed that a lot of trouble and problems in the world (and Malawi) would disappear if we were talking to each other, instead of about each other.” – Ronald Reagan (40th President of the U.S.A)
Otherwise, it hurts to be Malawian sometimes when all we are good at is gossip.
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Chilima uchenjere akupha osachita maswere ndi Di Phi Phi uli mumadzi mfana unakwera yachabe. Iwe ka handsome just compare ndi nkhope ya Chaponda, Mwanamvekha ndi Tsetsa Joisi Sesa. Iwe ndi wafa kale
A VP, mukukana kuti sakupangani sideline? Chabwino tidzawona. Mutha kubisa matenda koma maliro sadzasowa. Mark my words!
I think we need to wait and see. APM is a Mutharika and Mutharikas are V.P haters. Its in the blood!
Zochitika Ku Malawi That’s Why Ku Malawi Kulibe Chitukuko, Miseche Inayangata Mitu Mwa Anthu Omwe Amaziona Ngati Ali Kutsogolo Kwambiri.
Kusiyana Pa Ndale Chisakhale Chifukwa Chobweretsa Udani Pakati Pa President Ndi Vice Wake.
Maiko Ena Anthu Akulimbikira Kukweza Maiko Awo Kuno Ku Malawi Timakhala Tikukokelana Pansi Wina Ndi Zake Zosatira Zake Dziko Likukhala Lopanda Chitukuko Lonyezeka Kwa Anthu Ena Akunja.
Mbuli, Ophunzira Palibe Chomwe Tikupangira Dzikoli, Malawi Amanyozeka Maiko Akunja Chifukwa Anthu Ake Ife Sitikulikonda Dzikoli.
So the cancelled press conference by mhango and chaponda was waiting for saulos to speak first, then a conference will be called later by the two to tell that there is harmony and peace in dpp, no break between the apm and vp.
There is no lift, why did you complain then before by writing a letter to apm?
Did undule know this in advance, hence his writing which most of us thought had come from nowhere? Was he introducing the topic so that saulosi and the two ministers would follow up that all is well between apm and vp?
Is saulosis genuinely speaking for himself or forced to say what he says by dpp gurus or else?
Only in the long run that the truth will come out, for now just keep fooling us.
Sadly, Ken;
“In the long run, we are all dead.” – John Maynard Keynes
you should be the president. You look , behave and speak like one.