Malawi press rebuke K1.6bn for Nyasa BB, Nomads stadia: ‘Misallocation of resources’
Two Malawi daily newspapers on Tuesday unanimously denounced the allocation of K1.6 billion in the 2019/20 National Budget for the construction of stadia for local football giants Nyasa Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers in Blantyre.
Minister Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph Mwanamvekha disclosed the allocation when he presented his maiden fiscal plan in Parliament in Lilongwe after President Peter Mutharika assured the two teams during an audience he had with them last week that “there would be a provision in the budget”.
Both The Daily Times and The Nation newspapers took to their editorial comments to criticise the controversial funding.
The Nation said such allocation is “a misallocation of resources.”
It’s comment said: “This money could have better been used to build infrastructure such as health or educational facilities which are both inadequate and derelict.”
On its part, Daily Times said it is “strangely” that the public funds have been allocated to the private entities.
“Surely, in a country where the burden is feeding the people and providing them medicine, investing in sports infrastructure, much as it is necessary, is not a matter of life and death,” reads the comment.
The paper said an allocation for the construction of two stadiums for Nyasa Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers raises fundamental questions on where the country places its priorities.
The voices by the local press comes after Human Right Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Timothy Mtambo said they will lobby members of Parliament not to approve the allocation of funds in the 2019/20 National Budget for the construction of their stadia.
“We are also supporters of these teams, but people should understand that Bullets and Wanderers are private entities and as Malawi, our priorities include funding the health and education sectors,” he said
However, Bullets’ director Fleetwood Haiya and Wanderers chairperson Gift Mkandawire said they were happy that President Mutharika had lived to his word to construct the stadia.
Bullets were allocated a piece of land at Moneymen along Chikwawa Road and the Nomads near Soche Technical College.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
I love the plan of the stadium. It looks like a world class stadium. Bravo Peter. That was good thinking. We need one more stadium like Bingus in the North.
Govt is failing to modernise agriculture, buying equipments for police and military, yet it is busy funding mediocrity.
Well this misallocation of public funds to private use for building football stadia just shows how arrogant this President of Nyasaland is to the society at large. He has millions of dollars allocated to his state houses which he hardly sleeps in but eats the money. Why Malawi is allow this useless President get away with murder. The case of sending his useless wife for shopping to England is still fresh. Do not accept this insensitivity and abuse of tax dollars by this dictator.
The incompetence of the managers for these two giant clubs is baffling. The decision of H.E to grant land and funding to build stadia for these clubs is even more astounding!! These are private entities with a fan base capable of generating more than enough income to support themselves.
gvt is failing to treat cancer patient in this country and opted for building stedia while poor people are dying in our Hospitals.
we are shocked
Me too am a Nomad die hard, as much as we would love to have our own stadium but using the government purse to build something for a private a entity is very absurd. We have seen companies closing down but the govt. doesnt come to bail them out yet these people are rendered jobless by the end of the day. Let Mutharika use his personal of DPP money and not the tax-payers money. Then someone says we are infringing on their rights to have a share of national cake, really, using dubious means. We are going to be the… Read more »
Parliament MUST NOT pass this allocation
Mtamboyo ndiopanda chitukuko tauniisitha maonekedwe.
MA SUPPORTER WA BB NDI WONDERS NDI MA BULUTU. MTAMBO IS NOT STOPPING THE CONSTRUCTION OF STADIAS BUT HE AND TOGETHER WITH US ARE AGAINST THE USE OF OUR MONEY WHICH TAXPAYERS MONEY MEANT FOR REAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE COUNTRY FOR INSTANCE HOSPITALS,GIVE BETTER SALARIES TO OUR DOCTORS,NURSES AND OTHER SUPPORTING STAFF,SCHOOLS AND NOT SPENDING MONEY ON PETTY ISSUES LIKE FOOTBALL WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE. IF MR MUTHARIKA WANTS IT THEN HE SHOULD SOURCE HIS OWN MONEY AND NOT GOVERNMENT MONEY!!!! MR NKUNIKA AND YOUR FRIEND KODI KU SCHOOL MUNABWERAKO MOFULUMIRA ETI??? UNDERSTAND WHAT… Read more »
‘Bullets’ director Fleetwood Haiya’, what kind of a name is Fleetwood anyway?
I would like to agree with Mr Sikweina. My question is how many stadiums will this president construct for clubs. Will he manage to do the same for all clubs even those in the bush. Izi mzongofuna kubweretsa chisokonezo mudziko. Anyway pakuti anzathu ali ndi MDF and if you continue asking them questions they might meet FORCE
Kodi ku masewera awowo akazathyoka mwendo sazafuna ku chipatara ??? Ma bulutu awanthu