Malawi quashes MP Malunga’s proposal of sending retired sodiers to peace keeping missions
Government on Tuesday quashed the idea by the Member of Parliament for Chinkwawa North Grain Malunga to consider sending retired army officers on peace keeping missions.
Malunga asked Government through the ministry of defense that there is need to consider sending strong retired soldiers and policemen to peace keeping missions as a way of sustaining their livelihoods and patriotism.
In response to the proposal Minister of Defence Ken Kandodo quashed the idea saying people who retire in Malawi are old and it is not proper for government to be sending such people on a peace keeping missions.
“When sending the officers for a peace keeping mission we take into considerations the conditions of the financers of the trips.
“For example United Nations requires one who is being sent for a peace keeping mission to be an active soldier in service, not retired and should be between the age of 25- 55,” explained Kandodo in parliament sitting in Lilongwe.
Added, “Like in the case of Malawi, one retires at the age of 60, you do not expect such a person to be sent for a peace keeping mission.”
However Kandodo revealed that government from time to time take into considerations these retired army officers and policemen and grant them various positions in different places as a way of sustaining their lives.
“Recently government appointed retired Brigadier Marcel Chirwa to be the Deputy High Commissioner in Nairobi Kenya, in the same way it also appointed another retired Brigadier Ngwenya who is in Japan,” Kandodo said.
The Minister of Defence also said that there are places at Cobbe Barracks, Kamuzu Barracks as well as Moyale Barracks where retired and old solders are kept.
“There is a maize mill which is run every day in order to raise money for these retired solders,” he said.