Malawi reacts to UK newspaper ‘insults’ to President Mutharika: State House asks local media no ‘copy and paste’ imperialistic hate-reporting
A British newspaper, The Times, which faulted President Peter Mutharika for allegedly residing in one of that country’s most luxurious hotels in Scotland during official visit which was paid by the host government alongside five other members of his entourage, has received angrily reaction from Malawian citizenry, commentators and State House.
The paper questioned the cost and nature of his “luxurious” trip – accommodated at Prestonfield Hotel in Edinburgh where the cost of a single suite for one night is up to £450 (about K450 000) – considering that about half Malawi’s population live below the poverty line.
“He leads a country that has some of the worst poverty in the world but Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika and his entourage have racked up a five-star hotel bill in Scotland large enough to feed hundreds of African children for a year,” reports the paper.
But a renowned governance commentator Makhumbo Munthali, told Nyasa Times, that President Mutharika was treated “unfairly” by the British newspaper report.
“Even if the UK government had decided not to sponsor his accomodation, he would have easily afforded the accomodation with his own personal money. The issue was blown out of proportion. Its important that as a nation we focused on real issues not trivia,” said Munthali.
London-based Malawian corporate manager, Rhodrick Junaid Kalumpha, took the task to write the Editor of UK Times newspaper sensational reporting.
“In the grand scheme of things, surely £450 (about K450 000) a night is not too much for a Head of State! Or did you want him to be put in a B&B in the back valleys of Glasgow where he could be at the mercy of drug addicts and criminals hence endangering his safety?
“Yes we are poor, but we deserve respect from the outside world, including your paper.Our President cannot be the subject of such denigrating articles just because he heads a poor country… and all those insults just because of £450 (about K450 000) a night? You owe our nation an apology,” Kalumpha told Times editor.
And writing on Facebooo, Kalumpha said the British newspaper “cannot insult our Presudent and expect us to keep quiet.’’
Many Malawians commenting on Nyasa Times, Facebook and dozens of tweets were appalled with the patronizing article.
Mutharika was on a week-long State visit to Scotland after attending the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in London. He returned home on April 28.
Presidential spokesperson Mgeme Kalilani on Thursday issued a statement clarifying that the visit by Mutharika and his delegation had been funded by the UK Government as hosts of Commonwealth summit Scotland as the hosts of the official visit.
“President Mutharika was accommodated at the InterContinental hotel in London,” Kalilani informed. “Similarly, while on an official visit to Scotland, the host government, the Government of Scotland, identified, arranged and paid for the hotel expenses for the President. In Scotland, the host Government decided to accommodate President Mutharika at the Prestonfield House in Edinburgh.”
The Scottish Government – which gives Malawi £2.7m (about K2.7 billion) to each year as part of its overseas aid budget – said it was a standard practice for it to host a visiting head of State and their presidential party for their official programme.
Kalilani said State House is therefore “surprised” that , some newspapers both local and international have decided to accuse President Muthariks of being lavish “and made him and the people of Malawi the subject of insults and denigration.”
State House is calling upon all media houses in the country to avoid “copy-pasting” reports from international media publications without doing own research about the issues being reported.
“The local media should stay steadfast against international tabloids that are bent on hate-reporting and denigrating the image of Africa and its leaders for imperialistic reasons,” said Kalilani.
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What was he doing there when most of his friends were back in their home lands? Sikuopa ma demo aja ndi kususukira ma allowance!!! So if the white man is questioning such kind of behaviour, then munthu wina woduka mutu should be siding this nonsense in the name of being a patriotic fella. A Malawi muzachamuka liti?
They do not know Malawi? How come they said £450 can feed 30 children for a year? That is MK15,000 per child per year or MK1,250 per child per month? They exergerate our poverty
Koma ndiye ali ndi mwano!!?!?!!! Kutipatsa pogona nkumatilalatiranso? It is like giving me full board at Ryalls Hotel then reminding me that my children back home are hungry as if it is my fault to accept to come to the workshop. Mwano wazaonenitu umenewu
What a storm in a tea-cup! Why should anyone care what is published in that gutter tabloid, the Times of London? Since they decided many decades ago that Times Third Leaders were no longer worth collecting in book form, everything about that newspaper has gone down, except its weight and price. It is just one more victim of the creeping cretinization that is infiltrating and undermining all aspects of English life.
Kukonda kudya zaeni abwampini ndi macadet anu. Ndiye lero mwadya zamabritish akutodzani nazo, onyo mwakhaula.
That we are poor is fact. This notwithstanding, we don’t need self entitled white brats to rub it in by making silly comments about our head of state just because they feel entitled that we owe them. We have never complained about your stupid queen and in the same way, don’t poke into our affairs. Would even argue that we are poor today because you guys from the west took all the raw materials to enrich yourselves in your stupid COLD and HEARTLESS COUNTRIES. If we are poor, how come most of you guys come to Africa and choose to work in Malawi. MUNDIYANKHULAITSA PAMBALI. MY COUNTRY AND I HATE YOU DEEPLY AND We don’t want you in our country.
Mr sandram English mumamvetsetsa koma…kwanu mkuti….ungapte kumalo and kuwauza eni nyumba kut ndipatseni ndalama yomwe mufuna kundigulila zakumwa ndipite nayo kwathu??…think b4 commenting
I strongly believe they are free to express their feelings………………………………………………. zina zolilira ulemu zo ndi za inu mukufuna kulemekezedwa pomwe inu nomwe simutha kulemekeza anthu anu omwe, ntchito m’nyozo basiiiiiiiiiii!! Pali chani apa amangwetu, inunso muli ndi ufulu kunena zanu za ku khosi……………………..!!
Mwayiwala kale kuti ndi khalidwe lanu lomanga ma bwalo opangila phwando pomwe eni ndalama mukuonongazo akuvutikaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I for one will only believe Mgeme and his DPP zealots if the Hsot Govt backs their claim that they ( Host Govt) paid for full board accommodation.
Even if the host Govt extended that generosity to our president, I doubt they did not get allowances as if they would foot all expenses on their own . Malawians are good at double benefits and those on this trip these can not be exceptions.
Give me the link of those idiots I should write them
Nanunso a Zikomo Phiri mu kukhala ngati ozindikira moperewera bwanji? If Scottish citizens have the right to question how their taxes are being used, then they have to question their government not ridicule a person who has just been given accommodation and never forced then or asked them to be accommodated at that hotel. Nsanje bwanji? Mukungoonetsa kupusa kwanutu apa.
A Heavy – Duty – Unless you benefit from APM’s travels otherwise I dont see the reasons you supporting this stupidity.
the reporter is right because the president is using taxpayers kungogona kamodzi basi ndalama zonsenzo whilie poor villagers are suffering and its ridiculous
Huh inunso achidinky mumaganiza mwakuthako mweee!
I never new that in Malawi there are people brave enough like you Mr Kalumpha. Kindly put for this apology. Insults to the Malawi President (whoever it may be) is an insult to all Malawians. And we should unitedly not accept these insults. Today they insult APMand tomorrow they will insult you. PUSH FOR THE APOLOGY MR KALUMPHA. I salute you
The Scottish citizens have the right to questions how their tax money is spend. Thats what they do in the west. APM knows. You fools, dont compare and trade your ignorance with them. Its not racism or imperialism hello!. Kalumpha – you should be the last person to defend this yoyo – let the Mgames and Malumbos defend this man as they are doing this out of ignorance.
APM was not even supposed to stay in Scotland for weeks – He should have come back immediately after the Common Wealth to clean up the mess not just only in his party but also in the country. The vacuum in leadership was clearly witnessed during mass protests when even his vice whom you guys worship so much failed to engage the protestors.
It is a way of telling him that he overstayed at the expense of taxpayers money
You mean out of all pertinent issues we have in Malawi, we should spend our precious time to discuss this nonsense? Malawi has many individuals who are able to pay for such hotels with their own cash. Let these idiots who want to rank us so low, that we are not as such. We are fine in our country and we sleep comfortably at home. They are the disgruntled reporters used by opposition who negatively report to outsiders bad about our country.
I will not be surprised to learn that besides the Scottish government paying for accommodation for our elites during the few days they were in Scotland, we also provided allowances back home for their travel. May be that’s the bit we could be talking about because that would be double dipping. So let’s start that debate now.
what is the name of the reporter. The newspaper and the reporter must apologise
The Scottish pple r stupid that money k450000 can not even feed one person for a month ,malawians we poor but that money its too little .
maulendo enawa mudzikana dala kukana mwano wa mtundu ngati uwu. mudzitumidzako anyamata anu ngati a china Dausi kuti nao adziona mayiko. if people dont want to respect you just respect yourself you won’t lose anything. one day they will send you the whole plane in addition to the invitation. so we don’t need any apology here rather change of the way you
You are absolutely right. Vuto ma president athu ndi tima croonie tawo kukonda kudya zaeni. Uyo lero akutodzani nazo onyo!!!
Foolish people. You think those scotch were amused to see their money being waisted on somebody they consider useless. Ohoo no . They could understand Trump staying there but not a person whose brother chased their High Commissioner. Diplomacy or not the British may have forgiven Malawians because of Joyce Banda’s apology but the Munthalikas didn’t. The British remembered that insult painfully. That’s why they can’t understand their government spending the money on him.
Then they are fools. Nobody forced them to meet the expense, in other words they should blame their government officials not APM
So Malawians are that poor of hundreds of can be surviving by £450 a year. Have they been in Africa or they just seen africa on TV. You were complaining about the presidential JET, Now it’s £450. You must be a shamed.
palibe…. 450,000 yo … is far above annual pay for a minimum waged govt employee…. If we can debate about a common village man them even K15,000 can not afford annually. You have to respect yourself first in order to earn if from those around you. Don’t just accept offers as if your own government can pay a 185,000 hotel room bill per night ! MWATITUKWANITSA NDIKUPEMPHA KWANUKO !
kkkkkkkkk kutukwanika ndi ka MK450 000.00, mpaka kutifukula umphawi wathu onse tu. kaya tinyanya kutengeka ndi azungu.
Apepese basi
This are arrogant reporters, they want to invite our president and make him stay in a £50= Hotel, what about security, dignity, I don’t think Malawi is so poor that we can’t afford to pay for our Hotel bills. Even if we had to pay, we should have given a similar accommodation to our president. Scottish Govt has respect and understands the protocols of an international guest.
Mwanyanya nanu kuyenjesa
Manjoyo !!
Yes Malawi is poor, but sleeping there for that amount is not an issue. He is citizen number one, remember. Should not reside at a rest house.
Tell them we also have our five stars here in Malawi belt under the leadership of Mutharika. The UK Times reporter and his editor are the most shithole on earth. Mutharika did not ask for an accommodation. It was the UK Governmet which decided to own Malawi as such. . The owner was for all Malawians of goodwill. PROUD TO BE MALAWIAN. GOD BLESS MALAWI.
For sure it’s unfair to expect a head of state to book a B&B just because he comes from a poor nation.
But APM has himself to blame in all this! He has created a culture of recklessness, opulence in state expenditure. It’s like people surrounding him can just wake up one day and share state resources with impunity. The impression is he endorses LOOTING and PLUNDERING. There’s a stench of rot that follows his entourage.
It’s not good for Malawians
It’s a SHAME!!!
We definitely need an apology on this, security is much essence.
This racist and imperialistic mentality is the one that some of these white shitholes display in private institutions here in Malawi. Why can’t they go back home if they think they are superior?
The UK has insulted us and they need to apologise. Why do they think our president should sleep in a grass-thatched house in Scotland. We might be a poor country but these imperialists should respect our president and us.
It would be absurd to conclude that Kalilani and Khumbo Munthali ,are normal human beings.How would Muthalika and his entourage paid 450 Br Sterling (MK450.000) per night while back home,millions of our people are sleeping with empty stomachs,hospitals are barely empty of medicines,shortage of electricity has become a norm just to mention a few handicaps.Astonishingly,Muthalika’s dupes come together and criticise the British hosts for lambasting the corrupt for uselessly spending tax-payers’funds in one of the poorest nations in the Continent of Africa.It is shameful to note that the British government has come in the open to hold the Muthalika regime responsible for Malawi’s economic futile.Kalilani and Munthali must be ashamed by coming in the open to side with Muthalika the detractor.Come 2019,Malawians come to your senses and vote for real and patriotic Malawians instead of your fellow Lomwes who have become slaves of Muthalika and his closest serviles.COMEON MALAWIANS,LET US ESCAPE FROM THIS SHAMEFUL TREND!!!!!!!
Ma CSO should go and March against this impirealistic reporting
For the first time I am proud to be Malawian. This is the way to go. Just the same way our gogo in Karonga was ridiculed by similar imperialistic thinking some real Malawians reacted with similar anger despite a few shameful ones who feels a white man or woman was more human than a black man praised the imperialistic mind. If that paper had any issues to do with the cost they should have accused the host as being the ones identifying the accommodation. If the cost was above what they considered our entitlement they should have paid that and the difference would have been paid by ourselves. You cannot refuse to eat KFC chicken and chips offered to you just because you have left therere at home. Who told this imperialistic paper that had the President opted for a £1 per night accommodation the difference would have been sent to Malawi to feed the hungry they are talking about? Shame on the local papers that just copy the imperialistic mind without reasoning. Their chief editors and editors, if at all they deserve such titles, must be ashamed too.
We demand a strong and serious condemnation by the Host Government to this imperialistic paper.
Bravo Malawians by refusing to be looked down upon by anyone and for whatever reasons!!!!!
Atsamunda nde ndi amenewowo.ndi moyo Wawo amadzimva nkumatiyesa ife a bololo….tili nawonso mmioingomu..atipepese …
This was an insult to Malawi nation. We demand an apology now
I dont see them to be blamed,(UK)
Its true, that money used for him could support a lot of people back here at home.
Go to the rural areas where this government goes there only during campaign for them to be voted, people are suffering much and they dont care because they mind for their living not citizens.
In so doing there is no need for apology.