Commentator Kenani backs blunt Chakwera as ‘Concerned Citizens’ censor slurs on Mutharika over Malawi electricity crisis
Geneva-based social-economic commentator Stanley Kenani has backed leader of opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera who has dared President Peter Mutharika to demonstrate seriousness to resolve the energy crisis facing the country by fast-tracking interim solutions to extended power outages but a group of individuals sympathetic with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) calling themselves Concerned Citizens has registered their disapproval on the tone used by Chakwera .
Chakwera, who is also Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president, who accused President Peter Mutharika of being “clueless, directionless and insensitive” to the people’s misery and suffering inflicted by power blackouts.
He asked Mutharika to demonstrate seriousness resolve the electricity crisis facing the country.
Taking his comments to the social media, Kenani backed Chakwera for being blunt in his statement.
“If I were to summarise the Leader of Opposition’s speech on the State House shenanigans at Escom, I would say, ‘The President is incompetent, a liar and a thief.’ First, the President and his people ran Escom into the ground by stealing from it endlessly – to the extent that the Director of Finance [Betty Mahuka] resigned as she did not want to be stealing on behalf of State House.
“Now, even at Escom/Egenco’s darkest hour, all State House can think of is how to siphon $74 million from Escom/Egenco in the name of supplying generators. Meanwhile, the President stands at the podium and tells lies about the generators’ delivery dates. He knows that we Malawians will do nothing, apart from typing a few status updates on Facebook complaining about black-outs,” Kenani wrote on his Facebook page.
He continued: “As comedian, the late John Nyanga starring as Izeki once said, ‘We Malawians behave as though we borrowed this country from elsewhere, as though when we’re done misusing it, we will give it back to the real owners and retreat to the Malawi that is truly ours, the Malawi we can really care about.”
However, a group of the so called Concerned Citizens led by Phillip Kamangira, Fredrick Malata, Gerald Mhone and Kennedy Mwene Munyapala said Chakwera’s tonne was “disrespectful” to Mutharika.
“We are particularly worried with the conduct of Dr Chakwera, a man who calls himself reverend and who would therefore have been expected to be among the first to preach peace and order in this nation.
“In the years that he has been in politics he has proved to be a man who so loves violence and enjoys spreading hate. To him, that is politics but to us that is destruction and we will not allow it,” Kamangira pointed out.
The group said in the spirit of national building, Chakwera as opposition leader should be coming forward by offering solutions to the current challenges that the current is facing as opposed to repeating the problems on podiums which is insulting to Malawians.
They said they have noted with dismay that MCP President is using the energy crisis currently prevailing as a stepping stone to power instead of providing an alternative vision.
“The issue of blackouts needs a sober approach and mature leadership to deal with. We all know that for more than 50 years which include 31 years of MCP rule, Malawi has not made any significant investment in the sector.
“It is only this government which has initiated reforms and is making huge investments in the sector. Rev Chakwera knows this but he opts to use people’s emotions and suffering to gain political mileage,” he said.
Chakwera has asked the President to punish officers involved in the botched multi-million dollar standby generators procurement deal at Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom).
He said: “Instead of a strategic leader that is moved by your plight as Malawians, we have a President in Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika who seems clueless, directionless and insensitive to the people’s misery and suffering inflicted through these blackouts.
“I personally can see that the country in which we are living has literary been plunged into darkness by the incessant blackouts as a result of Escom’s load-shedding and, figuratively, into darkness of hopelessness, as there seems to be no end to the blackouts and other economic problems plaguing this nation.”
Chakwera was referring to the botched deal to source generators to add 78 megawatts (MW) to the national grid to ease power supply woes effective October this year.
Escom messed up the generators deal some few months ago when it went against own recommendation to award the supply of generators to a company called Aggreko. The deal was cancelled and Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) – which sells its power to Escom for supply to consumers -had to start all over again.
During a news conference in Lilongwe, Chakwera implicated Chief Secretary Lloyd Muhara and President’s Special Aide Collins Magalasi to be involved in the genset deal.
Chakwera called for a public inquiry into the foiled generators deal, saying asa a result of the blackouts many businesses have virtually failed and are closing shop: butcheries are seeing their meat turned to rot, salons cannot operate, maize mills cannot mill, welders cannot weld, hatcheries cannot hatch, students cannot study, hospitals have turned into death-zones as operating theatres cannot operate and vaccines cannot be stored, factories are operating at half-mast and incurring heavy losses; ordinary families with refrigerated foodstocks are suffering losses.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
During Joyce Banda’s 2 year reign we had no black outs as it used to be during Bingu’s 8 years reign. I am sure black out are synonymous with dpp. When MCP goes into government in 2019 blackouts will be history.
The problem of extended blackouts has reached intolerable proportions. The nation needs full information on this burning issue. Journalists, opposition politicians and NGOs such as CAMA need to provide adequate information to the masses. The “Generatorgate” should be disclosed with a detailed timeline showing what actually happened, against what was supposed to happen. Names of all the people who were involved in the scam should be disclosed – as was the case with “cashgate”.
Another thing that needs explanation is comparison with JB. How exactly did JB drastically reduce blackouts? The chief executive of ENGENCO dismissed JB’s improvement as being the result of commissioning of Kapichira 2 and good rains. But there were good rains last rainy season, hence the bumper maize harvest which we have. And has Kapichira 2 been decommissioned since JB left? If so, why?
Malawians should not be in the dark about events which are of most concern to them (the pun is intended!). The President should also ensure that the culture of receiving kick-backs which starts from the very top all the way down to the bottom in the public service is stopped. This culture is slowly killing Malawi…
zisilu izi. sakuziwa kukhala concerned citizen nkutani. so inuyo+ wakutumaniyo nose mapwala anu dunderheads avionani mitu kusongoka ubongo wodzaza ndi mafinya.bwanji osawauza anthu zoona zake
Ati concerned citizen, nkhope ngati zigumu yoyo, tikuonelani ndi umbuliwo kuti mukafika kuti, zidempete za wanthu
Guys, these faces do not look like faces of ‘concerned citizens’. In the first place they do not even look like concerned at all. Kaya mwina ndi chithunzi’cho or sindikuona bwino ndine. These are THUGS.
Trust me these are faces of thugs. If one was to check THEM right here definitely s/he will find at least a pistol or chikwanje. Zigawenga za ddp tu izi!!! Chenjelani nazo izi!!!
Kodi amphawiwo ati concerned citizens awapasa zingati? Ngonyasa ndinkhope zomwe ngati Wa atumayo
Pepani kuti mwina munangoyamba kukambirana osamufusa Pitalayo chifukwa iye akudziwa kuti A Chakwera akunena zoona.
Not surprising that the photo of the so-called concerned citizens is blurred. These guys are not actually concerned at all. All that they can think of is to censor the Leader of Opposition. Shame on you!
Countrymen,
I have read and heard with keen interest comments that Malawians have made on various fora on the Leader of Opposition’s speech made a few days ago. One interesting aspect that some of his critics on these fora have raised is that he is taking things personal with the Lomwe people as a tribe such that some plan to leave Malawi to another country in an event that MCP wins the 2019 General Elections and Chakwera becomes the Malawi President for fear that Llomwes will be persecuted. These people feel that MCP, and Chakwera in particular, hate Llomwe people. I beg to differ.
First, when I read about this, I decided to go back to Rt. Hon. Chakwera’s original speech to find out if indeed he said things that reflect on him as a “tribalist” bent on persecuting Llomwes when in power. To my surprise there was only one sentence where Dr. Chakwera mentioned the word “tribesmen” and this is what he said and I quote: “ We cannot be indifferent to the continued plunder of our nation’s wealth by President Mutharika’s small coterie of sycophants and “tribesmen…” In several other paragraphs where groups of people have been referred to Chakwera is calling them: “Mutharika’s cronies”,” Mutharika’s own charges”, “members of the DPP”, “DPP officials” and “DPP and its cadres.” And when these references are understood in context, I don’t see anything worth the alarm.
Secondly, I decided to read the speech one more time find out names of organizations, individuals and titles of government officials that have been mentioned in the speech. Here is the list of names that I found: Dr. Collins Magalasi, President Arthur Peter Mutharika, ESCOM Board Chairman, ESCOM Chief Executive Officer, The Chief Secretary, the ODPP, ESCOM Management and EGENCO Management. I then tried to find out who the people behind these official titles are in person. I also tried to find out the names of people who constitute bodies that have been mentioned i.e. names of people who constitute such bodies as ESCOM Board, ESCOM Management and EGENCO Management.
Well, don’t ask me which part of the country almost all of those names came from because I will not tell you but your guess is as good as mine. I will tell you, however, the “types” of names that are also common in Malawi as a country but surprisingly none of them was on the list of people behind these official titles in public boards and managements the Leader of Opposition referred to in his speech. I am actually reliably informed that one or two of such managements were set up without subjecting candidates to any form of recruitment processes such as interviews. They just walked into their offices without any form of interviews. As a result I did not, for example, find a “Banda” or a “Mkandawire” or a “Phiri”, or a “Munthali”, or che “Msosa”, che “Tebulo” or “Alhaji Iddrissa” or a “Chipeta” or a “Mwale”, or a “Mughogho”, or indeed a “Mbewe” or any name related to such names in Malawi or in our neighboring countries. This is what must worry Malawians because the question is: why? There are no “Bandas”, “Phiris” or “Nyirongos” that are educated OR experienced enough to also sit on these “boards” and “managements”?
Well, countrymen, you can conduct your own research to find out the type of names that are found on almost all of the bodies mentioned in Dr. Chakwera’s speech. They were essentially names that seem to come from the same corner of the country and I am sure that this is against the will of the majority of the people from that corner. The question that I have even today is: “is this a mere coincident”? Is this “right”?
I was actually amused when I saw the names and faces of officials who attended the ESCOM / EGENCO joint Board meeting that Prof. Peter Mutharika gate-crushed into the other day through a different source and not through Dr. Chakwera’s speech. Then I also checked the list of the names of people that President Mutharika met when he paid a another surprise visit to Limbe ADMARC the other day. What did I see? The same group of names was present and the same kind of names was conspicuously missing from the list of attendees. The question that still remains is the same. Why this type of names attending meetings and why NOT the other type of names?
So, what is my point here? Simple. First, listen to Dr. Chakwera’s statement again: “We cannot be indifferent to the continued plunder of our nation’s wealth by President Mutharika’s ‘small coterie of sycophants and tribesmen…’”. His emphasis is on the “small coterie of sycophants and tribesmen.” Here is my question to you reader: Was, by saying this, Dr. Chakwera saying that all Llomwe’s were involved in plundering our nation’s wealth? Was he, in this statement, reflecting on the Llomwes as a tribe or on Mutharika and his “small coterie of sycophants and tribesmen” who are unfairly enriching themselves and conversely condemning 17 million Malawians from Chitipa to Nsanje, Nkhotakota to Mchinji [Llomwes inclusive] to abject poverty and total darkness through misprocurement of generators?
My understanding of Dr. Chakwera’s statement, referred to above, is that Malawians must rise up and condemn a “tribal clique” that is allegedly stealing our money and plundering our economy. As it can be seen from my analysis above, it is clear that a properly constructed group of people are spoiling, not only the reputation of the Llomwe people, but the livelihood of every Malawian, including Llomwes, by getting involved in projects meant to defraud the entire country. It is this group that all of us Malawians must condemn in strongest terms. And, therefore, I see no problem with Dr. Chakwera’s “HOLLY ANGER” in defense of the rest of us 17 million souls who are working very hard each day of the year and yet the benefits of such labor are enjoyed by a very small group of people who have wrongly defined themselves by a “tribal label”. Being the one who makes appointments to key government positions, Dr. Chakwera is putting the blame squarely on Prof. Mutharika and I don’t see why someone can dispute that. He needs to know that Malawians are not happy with his style of leadership.
I personally believe that tribalism is tribalism whether it is being practiced by my tribesman in or anybody from another tribe. It must be condemned as an evil that must not exist among us as a nation. It is, therefore, naivety for someone to feel tribally offended when a leader from another tribe condemns tribalism in members of his/her tribe. It is also naivety for someone to think that those who condemn tribalism practiced by people of his/her own tribe will themselves be tribalistic when they take over power. This is illogical and it only shows that there are people in this country who feel that what is happening today in Malawi is ok. This is like saying that every policeman who arrests a thief should not be trusted because s/he will himself/herself become a thief in future. Let’s always base our arguments on facts and not mere figment of the mind.
In Acts 17: 26 Paul writes and I quote: “And He [God], has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.” What does He mean? We may be people of different tribes and bearing different types of names. But, we need to always realize that we are not Malawians by accident or through sheer coincidence. God brought us (Chewas, Lhomwes, Tumbukas, Yao, Ngonis, etc.) into this country for a purpose. He is the one who pre-determined which tribes shall constitute Malawi. He wanted us to boil into one people. Historically, and from the earliest times, Malawian tribes have co-existed in peace. It, therefore, baffles some of us that all of a sudden tribalism is becoming a big issue that is threatening our peaceful co-existence. My prayer is that those in the corridors of power will desist from this tendency. Malawi’s resources and wealth are for all Malawians despite their ethnic background. Sure, things will not be perfect but obviously bias towards a few people should not be accepted in Malawi.
I, therefore, thank the leader of opposition for making it clear in the face of those who allegedly want to perpetuate this bad behavior that we are not amused. Those who think that he was being tribalistic in condemning this behavior should read the speech again and discover that he was not speaking against the Lhomwe tribe but a few Lhomwes who allegedly want to separate the Lhomwe tribe from the rest of Malawians. In fact, in my scheme of things, this tribal clique is more unfair to the majority of fellow Lhomwes than to the people of other tribes. Just look at how they have clearly failed to take advantage of the New Land Act to solve the land challenges that the majority of Lhomwe people are facing in Thyolo and Mulanje districts. At least all other tribes have land they can call home. Because, they, the “Chosen Few” are personally benefiting from the current land arrangement in the two districts they look the other away each time people like Wandale and his followers (PLO) complain about the landlessness that the majority of Llomwes are facing.
Kent Y.G. Mphepo – Blantyre (0888435629)
Hi Kent Y. G. Mphepo. I salute you for your prudent and unbiased analysis of the speech by Dr. Chakwera. Malawi needs people who are able to critically analyze issues with sober and independent minds. I don’t think there is any sane person who dispute and challenge your analytical comment. I think you should also put your comment in the coming weekend papers (both THE NATION and Malawi News). I am really inspired by your honest review of Dr. Chakwera’s speech. Can the rest of us readers emulate this envious good example and ensure we follow his model of commenting with facts.
These stupid people are just a waste of time. Chakwera has spoken nothing but the truth. But because you have pocketed some few kwachas from DPP you organize a press conference to utter rubbish. It is only your wives and kids who can clap hands for you. You are making us sick. It could have been much better if you had sealed your stinking mouths.
kkkkkkkkk we are the voters who will decide. not the so called commentators who are just wasting thier time. a good citizen comes up with suggestions that helps those in authority to govern well. enanu timakuziwa ndinu MCP. u voted chackwera and u will vote for chakwera again and fail again believe me . ADVICE; we have a legimate president who looks after the Nation the best is to advice him. mr chakwera to offer solutions. not politics he should wait 2019 elections and if he will manage to sell us his manifesto we will vote for him but not otherwise.
Cadets at work, defending their master from the indefensible.
Join the discussionKaya anthu afune kaya asafune DPP is getting out of gaffment come 2019. With 50+1 or first past the post anthu tagwirizana MCP bomaaaaaa come 2019.
During MCP there were no black outs!!!! Even on Soche HILL, day and night, we had the lights showing LONG LIVE KAMUZU
Amene muli kufupi ndi so called “concerned citizens” tazichitani kanthu zitsiru zimenezi. This is not the time to listen to your bullshit, after pocketing some blood money. In the picture on this post your looks portray a bunch of individuals immune of proper education, ridden with hunger in your homes and are ready to speak anything so that you should pocket something to feed your hunger stricken houses. You make me feel very angry.
There are a bunch of fools like these in our country that are making this nation retrogress all the more. They can clap hands even at scenario where they have caught an intruder on top of their wives.
SILLY AND SHAMEFUL PEOPLE.
pamenepa chakwera akunama? wanena zoona zokhazokha nanga wanapo chani apa ife tikuvutika . Dziko kuti liyende ndi magesi , nabolani Amayi anayesesa koma awa mmmmmmm zawakanika. Think of mmene mafuta akupezekekela ndi plan ya mayi forex ndi plan ya amayi sangapangeso chimodzimodzi plan ya amayi ku magesi?
You so called Concerned Citizens be serious. Why focusing on method of sharing content rather than facts presented? There is a Sea of More Real Concerned Citizens than you. You have put your names in disrepute. Bootlickers like you destroy our nation. Call a spade a spade not by different names. Dikirani muone what mmene Ife eni ake okhala mmmavuto tipangire even before 2019. We are equally angry.
Both are right
Mmmmm, anyamata a Bwana amenewo, they are now speaking for HE, just because of little few kwachas coming into their pocket they sale out their integrity? Tinachitapo ife zimenezi koma sizimathandiza mtundu was a Malawi. Be cause what we need is Magetsi so if someone can pleasure gvt to give us magetsi .
Concerned citizens my foot! These idiots think they can hold the whole Malawi at ransom with their blind support for a dunderhead president.
I know the reason why :They dubiously get government contracts because they are connected to the power that is above, and when real people who really care for the country, expose the the leadership failures, they feel threatened to lose what they are enjoying at the expense of poor Malawians.
These are the people the country doesn’t want. They are arrogant and think that everything is well with Malawi.
Anybody who condones the uncaring attitude of the DPP leadership let alone its failed solutions to the enormous problems prevalent in the Malawian society, is inhuman and deserves condemnation. These so so-called concerned citizens represent their own selfish interests and even binoculars wouldn’t be needed to perfect their look into the myriad of Malawi’s problems.
What Dr Chakwera has presented are facts based on a wide range of issues emanating from corrupt practices of the regime, lies that are always sugar-coated, lack of solutions to the country’s problems, rewarding loyal tribesmen, incensitivity of the leadership, promises that are never fulfilled, backroom deals that siphon government’s money while deceiving tax payers,and leadership arrogance.
It is not rudeness against the leadership but an exposition of weakness, incapability to lead, and alertness to awaken the president from slumber who seems to be sleeping on the job.
Peter Mutharika has never demonstrated that he controls the wheels of leadership and this explains why he becomes reactive when responsible Malawians challenge his attitude on the job. It seems the Malawian president was never ready to face the problems of the country and lacks the acumen of leadership.
These so-called concerned citizens need not parade themselves as goodwill messengers of Malawians because their radical position in support of president Mutharika, is scary to the survival of the country. No sane person can subscribe to Peter Mutharika’s style of leadership.
I think APM needs to be a Scholar or Academician and not a president who can be able to look at a far and combat problems before they are noticed by the people. It’s called visualizing things positively – being a visionary president means projecting certain positive achievements that would set a milestone into the progress of the country. It means you move and shake the country so it becomes prosperous. It means you lead to end corruption, set goals and standards for the country’s infrastructure, create an enabling environment for investment such a sufficient energy or power, sufficient water supply, and setting an environment that makes it easier to do business , and it means you walk the talk in your promises.
The damage caused by DPP can’t just continue infinitely and needs to be stopped before people perish.
Concerned Citizens? You are more concerned with what Dr. Chakwera has said than the suffering of people? Do you know buainesses are not operating?
You can hardly find Cement in Lilongwe because production has declined.
Women are spending nights Ku chigayo. Lives are at risk in hospitals.
What are you concerned about more the speech or the challenges people are facing?
Has Chakwera used any wrong word? If someone is saying untrue issues, what do you call such a person?
Fortune seekers mwapeza zochita.
Za ziiiiiiii!
A malawi tidazolowera kuwombera mmanja ndi amisala omwe zoti Chakwera watitsegula mmaso osawona basi kumalimbana ndi kunyoza mmalo mokonza. Dpp ndikhalidwe lake kuba munjira imeneyi ngakhale mboma amatenga zinthu zomwe mitengo yake iliyotsika iwo they always fix pa mtengo wokwera kuti inayo agawane. Ndipo nonse amene mukunyoza Chakwera kuti walakwa kunena kwa a Malawi zakuba kwa Dpp dziwani kuti ndizomwe zidzakugwetseni mukapanda kusintha. Dziko lidzpenya musawone ngati sitidziwa kuti awa awo akulemera pamutu pakuba tax payers money