Malawians up against Mahatma Ghandi statue: Bingu’s in offing
Some Malawians have taken up in radio call programs and social media to express concern over government decision to erect a Mahatma Ghandi statue in the city of Blantyre.
The government is erecting the statue of the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule near the Queen Elizabeth Hospital at Ginnery Corner in Blantyre.
However, some Malawians feel it is a waste of money and resources, saying Ghandi is now irrelevant to the modern history and more to that, the government should honour Malawians who were involved in similar struggles.
Professor John Chisi, the president of Umodzi Party said Malawi has its own heroes who need honour and recognition.
“There are many Malawians who died fighting for the struggle to liberae this country. There are many Malawians who risked their lives for the love of this country. These people deserve statues, not Ghandi, we don’t need Ghandi statue here,” he said.
One of the callers to a radio station said there are Malawians like John Chilembwe, Dunduzu Chisiza, Levi Mumba, Attati Mpakati, Orton Chirwa, among others who need such statues.
“Can India allow us erect a statue of a Malawian in their country? How does the leadership of this country think,” says one comment in a post.
But Information minister Nicholas Dausi said the country has a large number of Indians who were involved in the struggle in the country, citing an example of the Sacranie family.
He alsi said Ghandi is a well-respected politician worldwide who needs to be remembered all the time.
The erection of Ghandi statue comes at a time when there is close ties between the DPP and the Indian businessmen with some of them, including Zameer Karim making huge donations to the party.
Karim pumped in K145 million to the DPP, a donation that caused stir as it came after his Pioneer Investments got a dubious K2.8 billion through police food ration deal, an issue which is now in court.
Meanwhile, published reports indicates taxpayers’ will have to fork millions of kwacha to finance the statue for the late president Bingu wa Mutharika, which government intends to erect at Parliament building in Lilongwe by December this year.
The statue will be erected in honour of what government terms “Bingu’s great contributions to the country’s political and socio-economic sectors.”
Accoridng to reports, government has engaged renowned South African Sculptor Jean Doyle Artistic Works Holdings Limited, who designed founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s statue which stands at the Memorial Tower in Area 18, Lilongwe.
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Surely a fool suggested this statue. In S Africa Gandhi was well known for considering Indians to be better than blacks, and simply resented that Europeans classed Indians in with them.. “the Indian is being dragged down to the position of a raw Kaffir” Gandhi 1893
Winston Msowoya,your comment on Ghandi is impressive and educative come back home we need you son of our soil and may GOD keep you well.Iam proud of you son and keep on educating these pigs!!!!!!!!!
We have our own Heroes, why erecting statues for Ghandi when we dont know even his history. Its all about Indians the racist people. May be this guy was a criminal and what are we propagating for the future generation!. We need statues for people like Rev Mumba, Orton Chirwa, Du Chisiza, Arron Sanga. We can re-write our Malawian history. Most of the guys who are in written in Malawi’s heroes book were criminals. Real heroes are no where to be found because of political regional and tribal/ethnic background
Mbuzi za anthu inu, What did Ghandi brought to malawi to be remembered with malawians? Tax payers instead of buying tablets mzipatalamu ayi ndithu mavuto alipo. Amwenye ngati akufuna atha kumaika mmanyumba mwawo koma kuti wina wadyapo basi?
This Dausi is corrupt Malawi got nothing to do with Ghandi ohno what are this?????? Ghandi in Malawi aaaa zikolathabasi
This is the last kick of a dying horse. DPP.
But Mahatma Ghandi was very ugly like the devil, let us not bring ill omen in this country.
You are a clueless moron. Pity on you.
We dont need statues here we need development. We dont have freedom fighters in Malawi. It is better if we had statues of Sir Glyn Jones or the Queen of England. If white were colonising our country we would have developed beyond recognition unlike bad African from Kamuzu to these DPP. No honor for freedom fighter amenewo adali anthu opupuluma.
Better erect a statue of Dr. Nelson Mandela
Koma amwenye atitola. They are involved in corruption…buying of crookedly from Ngos..some NGOs hv their staffs procuring corrupt with these amwenye…..