Mixed views on Mutharika feasting with university students
Commentators have expressed mixed reactions towards President Peter Mutharika’s hosting of university students at Sanjika Palace over the weekend where he feasted with them and splashes out K24 million cash handout.
At least 1200 students enjoyed the windfall and got K20 000 each.
Economist Henry Kachaje said he could not make sense of the “nonsense” of President Mutharika’s gesture.
“ A university professor from the famed Yale University decides to host Malawian university decides to host Malawian university students from various institutions and gets them drunk at the at the State House? Did he check the ages of the students before giving them his cheap beer?
“Most students get selected at ages 15/16 these .There is a high probability half of them were below the age of 18And you still think this is okay?” Kachaje, who is immediate past president of the Economics Association of Malawi (Ecama) posted on Facebook.
But one the students who attended the Sanjika feast and spoke to Nyasa Times said there was nothing long to network with the President.
“Even in United Kingdom the Conservative Future movement of university students gets time to be invited to 10 Downing Street for a meeting with a Prime Minister and have few wines,” he pointed out.
The students endorsed Mutharika as the DPP torchbearer in next year polls.
Chimwemwe Chipungu, the DPP university coordinator said all the money came from the DPP.
“We never used a single penny from the state coffers. All the money came from the party,” said Chipungu.
Chipungu said the president would be meeting the party youth cadets today in Blantyre.
The President’s gesture is widely seen as an offensive to counter national elections campaign, code-named Youth Decide 2019, following what former first lady Callista Mutharika said recently that Mutharika, 79, would be too old to carry on as he would be 84 at the time of leaving office in 2024 if re-elected next year.
The former first lady argued that it is normal that thinking capacity levels deteriorate as one gets older, and, therefore, favours Vice President Saulos Chilima, 45, to represent DPP in 2019.
But Finance and Economic Planning Minister Goodall Gondwe said running the President’s office and government affairs is serious business that requires the old who have experience and not “babies” who are novices on State matters.
Mustaffa Hussein, a political scientist from Chancellor College, a constituent college of the University of Malawi, said Mutharika is trying to win sympathy from the youth while George Phiri, a political scientist from the University of Livingstonia (Unilia), said the youth as they are just being used by politicians.
He said he expected the college students to appreciate the process of endorsing a party presidential candidate.
A newspaper editorial said DPP tug-of-war on who to lead the party in the 2019 Tripartite Elections can only be fairly sorted out by free and fair elections at a democratically arranged convention.
Mutharika has personally declared that he will seek a second and final mandatory term next year, saying he is not going to lead DPP in the elections, the party will be heading to opposition.
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Yuniveste inali kale Inu. Unima yake yiti? Ana a quota system amenewo.
These are quota system products. Let them thank their master. There are many deserving children who were left due to quota system and failure to pay school fees and if they can vote for current govt then kupwambwana.
Based on 2014 election results. Chanco,mzuni and luanar voted MCP. This won’t change much as those who went to drink at Sanjika were but few as compared to those left behind.
Henry Kachanje, which side of Malawi do you live. Do you go around and interact with the lower class as you seem to be of higher class. Serious ? students start drinking from primary schools. Some of you keeping beer in your houses and they drink when you are not around. The same youngster are smokers, is it the president who taught them to smoke,? Some are in substance abuse. And you can tell the rise of drugs in our street and the customers are the youth, check your own , one day you will be surprised. The fact that they were at Sanjika doesnot mean they were drinking beer. Youth are supposed to be encouraged to be taking part in politics so that they should know what is going on in their nation. Nothing wrong for youth to be involved in politics. What age do we allow to vote in Malawi? We have been saying they are future leaders and it is time to involve them so that we don’t have in the future recycled politicians. Or we can have politicians who. Can bring developmental change in their areas which old gurus we have, who have been life members of parliament in their area. are failing to perform.
Mr Kachanje please you need to reason well before you accuse the president, or insult the students who wanted to interact with their leader. In United Kingdom , they have a time for Youth parliament, that is to groom them for the future.. No wonder in our Nation, no one is interested to give talks to our students in primary to university so that they can make the right choice. By the way Mr Kachanje, have you given any motivational talks to students in secondary sch , primary school or university why they should choose your field and the benefit of it. You can’t cause you are not ready to retire , you only talk to your own children. How many MPS have given motivational talks to our students ?
So you mean its a good idea to drink beer while young?By drinking beer with a President what have they achieved apart from telling the nation that they are supporting Mutharika.Frackly speaking,these students did note ask the President to feast with them but the DPP and its President ask the students by buying them.Unfortunately and sadly,these students have forgotten their former student ROBERT CHASOWA get killed with this DPP.
When I was a university student at Chanco I used to think the world revolved around us. How naive! These university students are a non entity. Most of them haven’t even been outside Malawi so they know little about the world apart from theories they read in old books at UNIMA. Unfortunately, they’re the future of our country and they’re being taught primitive politics from a tender age. Shame!
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF VIPERS –UNIVERSITY STUDENTS -TEACHER’S -INTELLECTUALS –ARE THE ONES
WHO SOLD/ WILL SELL THIS COUNTRY TO WOLVES —
WHY ?? THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE (ALIBE POLOBOLEMU )
MALAWIANS NEED SOMEONE WHO CAN
STAND FOR THE POOR IN VILLAGES –BUSHIRI AND CHAKWERA ARE OUR MEN !!
I have always argued that the biggest risk in Malawi’s politics is the state of our youth. In pre and post independence, the colonialists, missionaries and political have designed a deliberate social system to produce the most useless, unintelligent, unemployable and delinquent youths who are ripe for political manipulation. The youthful population (made of 65% of the population) should have been its biggest asset but now it is its biggest liability and a risk to democracy. One just need to buy them with a bottle or two of beer or airtime and thats it. Politicians have killed a whole generation and probably the next.
These are hard times to every politician. Political leaders will do anything to apease the masses. Anyway peter & his party chose how to play there game. Let’s hope they will sacced with that
There is no sense for the president to use youth in political issues. This is like giving them the way to hello. Mtharika i ndeed is tired with politics is time for us to remove him with free and fare election coming ahead 2019. I can see youth are very happy with un employment gate, cashgate, momera university in mzimba gate, build houses for soldiers gate, njakwa livingstonia to chitimba road gate, misuku road it was promised to be tarmaked gate, killing innocent suppotres of mcp gate, releasing chaponda who still our money gate. so you young people do you want your future be doomed with your degree without employment?
it Grandpa hosting the innocent kids in town. That’s all what APM could do with his precious time. But I know very well these WhatsApp kids will vote wisely knowing that Magogo usually say what don’t mean. When they say vote for me they mean please I need a rest! Hahahaha!
This is Kasumbadedza,guyz it won’t work,or atapatsa aliyense M’Malawi muno ndalama wapatsa ana aschoolzo sadzawina uyuuuuuuu!his performance is below average.mudyereni osankanira ndizanu zomwe zimenezo. Kubota musadzamuvotere.
i dont think the students that attended the feast are from any political party apart from the mighty DPP it was a feast belonging to our family the DPP so dont meddle with our issues
Olo akanapanda kupanga host mavuto akanatha ku Malawi?
Akachaje !! Mukhala choncho !! Mudzamwalira mozunzika kwambili !!
Blessed are the young dining with the kings do are the varsity gals and boys. Any demonstrations by the university students over one or more grievances just treat the whole affair as an expression of fake concerns. By wooing these gullible infants into DPP bed our professor is defiling the kids in this way stripping them of academic freedom to think expansively. Our professor is exploiting their naivety to the full so feed them let the hard drinks hit them to the highest mark, short memory is the companion Robert Chasowa thought dancing with politicians was smooth all politicians are treacherous it is you in no time from now our beloved kids
Akulu anzawo (Kweni and company) awalephera, pano ati asokoneze ana heti?
Let’s wait and see
These student are really stupid and they do not see that these stupid politicians are destroying their future. The brighter future for them starts now and not by engaging in politics. Why mix with people at the end of their lives like Peter. Even Chilima had to work for several companies before joining politics. He is not a poor person and will not die as a poor person.
this is true. why did APM do this?WHY??? I mean I’m a youth myself koma I would never in a million yrs vote for someone who gives beer to Uni Students. Nde akamati education in Malawi is shit, azidabwa? why couldn’t he leave a good legacy like his brother. One thing I know is this: APM wl not win.
stupidness at its best. hosting students spending millions of kwachas whilst people at ndirande health center has no LA, anastesia in the labour ward. what a leader.
stupidity, I tell u. Illiteracy at its highest level but instead of using that 24 mita wisely, he spends it on Uni students who are still fresh and who dont know how to think about anything except for their instant needs. We need young minds
24 mita yapita yet some students are dropping from universities coz they cant afford to pay fees. Our youths are very short sighted no wonder akukhalira kulira day and night. If we had these type of youths in 1993 democracy sitikanakhala nayo lero.
Ndipo! I dont even know what to say about that. Instead of thinking aout their future with this kind of president, they spent the money on beers and prostitutes. enanso pomwe 20 grand ija sipakuziwikayi. will these youth really be our future leaders? will Mlwi survive?
I am told next are the sex workers
Date and time please
This not strange to me seeing the President dishing out money to students.Even you too when he comes to give you money just get it but you know where to VOTE.I remember while i was in Zambia in another election where the PF won under the leadership of Micheal Sata,MMD use to dish out money to woe the voters and it came a song entitled DONCHI KUBEBA(Don’t tell them) by Dandy Crazy and it was played everywhere in Zambia and the PF adopted the song as their campaign song.In fact the song was telling people that just get the money from the ruling party(MMD) but Don’t tell them that you are going to vote for the opposition party(PF)and it won the elections from the ruling party.This is what we must do also to DPP when they are giving us money but DONCHI KUBEBA whom you are going to for.
KODI NDINDANI AMENE ANGAKANE KUKADYA KUNYUMBA YACHIFUMU
KUDYA NDIULERE KOMA MAVOTI NDIMUMTIMA
MK24 million wasted like that when there are no drugs in hospitals? crooked, inept gogo mutharira, this will not solve anything, the revolution is on, we want a youthful leader not madala like wationongera dziko!!!! you’re going
Stupid students. That money could have been given to you as loans for University contribution if it was genuine money. Ndisamvenso mukulira kuti mfwemfwenfwe za contribution. You are so shortsighted. All these four years, have you ever been invited to Sanjika for a drink? shame
Koma munakakhala inu eeeeti – typical Malawian way of thinking.
the fact that it happens elsewhere like Europe doesn’t make it right (or wrong even), feel kachaje has for once asked the right question(s)!!
Madala Team on the offensive! But one thing am sure of is that nobody has ever stopped a revolution (e.g. the revolution in the Arab North African Countries). I don’t know how Madala Team will manage to diffuse this Youth Revolution…
Which Youth Revolution – oledzerawa? The current crop of politicians (old and young) cannot transform Malawi in a substantial way. It’s just a dream to even talk about a revolution. Unless the so-called youth revolution is aimed at putting another bunch of thieves in power.
koma ziliko chaka chino!
Nothing wrong with the president having a feast with university students. As one of them has observed, in western countries, political parties dine and wine with the university students and their youth membership.
Yes it is not wrong.. bt it does not make sense.. since just recently we were reading news that many students are struggling to pay tuition fees.. It would have been proper if such money was used to such students.. I m not sure if they have bn assisted.. That money was enough to support close to 50 students for the whole yr. Sometimes I feel as if our president does not have advisers… For SURE ma night queens assangalala mu ma drinking joints mu.. easy money easy go.. I know how students behave with free things.. ….
Itan’ comparatam esse hominum naturam omnium, aliena ut melius videant et dijudicent quam sua? Latin
(Is the nature of men so constituted that they can better perceive, and discriminate in, the affairs of others than their own?)
This quote from Terence (Heautontimorumenos, 3, 2, 97)
Jacta alea esto (Latin -meaning “Let the die be cast” a quote from Suetonius, a story of Caesar crossing the Rubicon)
Lest people should in future say “Jacet ecce Tibulius; vix manet e toto parva quod urna capit”
(Here lies Tibulius; of all that he was, there scarcely remains enough to fill a small urn)