Mutharika hits at ‘misguided and crazy’ critics: Donors are fed up, get over it

President Peter Mutharika has hit at his critics who say Malawi traditional donors who pulled out their budgetary support as misguided and mentally disturbed.

President Peter Mutharika speaking in Mangochi: Opposition are misguided lot
President Peter Mutharika speaking in Mangochi: Opposition are misguided lot

At a political rally on Saturday in Mangochi, Mutharika insisted the donors have gone for good to attend to their problems in their own countries.

“I hear someone in parliament say he would bring back the donors within a month. He must be joking…The donors are gone, they are fed up having helped us for 51 years,” said Mutharika.

Mutharika faced severe criticism from leader of opposition Lazarus Chakwera and People’s Party leader Uladi Mussa who accused the President of doing nothing to calla roundtable discussion to get the donors back.

They told Mutharika that his predecessors faced similar situation and successfully managed to woo the donors back as negotiations on IMF facility progressed well.

However, Mutharika said his focus is not on foreign investors.

He said his administration has already got K950b investment from a Chinese company apart from other international investors from Europe.

The Malawi leader said in addition his government has development programmes capable of turning around the economy such as a US $600m Liwonde dry port, a US $400m 30000 seat stadium in Mangochi and an international hotel and world class golf course in lakeshore district of Mangochi as some of the major projects in the eastern region apart from a dozen road projects.

Mutharika also said funds have been identified to make Mangochi airport an international airport with planes flying in directly from world destinations and the airport will have an international immigration office and other facilities.

“The opposition is saying the country is going in a wrong direction, they are not telling us which is the right direction,” he said.

Mutharika stressed that cashgate, the wanton looting of treasury by greedy politicians, public officers and business people hit the country so hard that it will take so many years for Malawi to recover from the disaster.

He said it is time Malawians forge ahead in unity and in shaping their country’s own destiny and ensuring that cashgate does not repeat.

“I am not trying to blame anyone but it is a fact that what happened with cashgate affected this country really hard that it will take many years for us to recover,” Mutharika said.

Up to K20 billion mostly Malawians’ tax payers money, was looted from treasury under former president Joyce Banda’s watch between 2012 and early 2014. It is reported the looting started in 2005.

Almost all Malawi’s traditional donors including Britain and the United State of America who were contributing up to 40 percent of the national budget withdrew their budgetary support at the peak of cashgate in 2013 that saw an attempt on the life of the then Ministry of Finance Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo.

Mphwiyo who was profoundly touted by Joyce Banda as a victim of a fight against corruption is now one of the key suspects in the ongoing cashgate cases along people who are suspected to have an attempt on his life.

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Nyapaphi wabowa
Nyapaphi wabowa
8 years ago

Mphwepwa ya president! Donors bring in dollars vital for international trade. Our currency is continuously flactuating due to lack of foreign currency among others. And the road construction projects the president touted about are also funded by donors. So what do u mean when u say donor time is over? A bundle of contradiction!!! Nanunso angulu tatiyeni tisamangosapota zili zonse. Amalawi tikuzunzika ndi kukwera kwa mitengo chifukwa cha maganizidwe osathandizawa. We are still at infancy as far as our economy is concerned. Donors badly wanted. Kupusa kumeneko!

choonadi
choonadi
8 years ago

A Winston Msowoya, is our democratic right dependence on western donor aid and not chinese? When we dont do according to British interests, they dump us as well. So where is the difference? Let the Chinese build infrastructure rather than have the British who think they own Malawi because they finance the government/civil service. Our democratic right is to be economically independent. Stop partisan-contaminated reasoning.

kudya nkhupisaka
8 years ago

Yes APM is quite alrght donors have gone to solve their problems we shouldn’t rely on them but we need to find means on how we can find a solution to at least bring back our economy on track.

The Patriot
The Patriot
8 years ago

Mr President, please just do the right thing: probe the 577 billion Kwacha Cashgate scandal and donors will come back. Mukuopa chiani? All articulate Malawians know that the donors are waiting for your leadership to come up with a report on the Cashgate of 577 billion Kwacha and arrest the offenders then aid will resume. The report will take ten whole months to come out according to the Auditor GENERAL! kodi a Malawi atha kudikilira miyezi 10? Mukufuna afe anthu angati???? The DPP government is holding Malawians at ransom! Mumamva bwanji a Malawi akubvutika inu mukubisa ma report, kuteteza political… Read more »

Mr Pheee
Mr Pheee
8 years ago

Kulibe dziko muno mu Africa limene silimapangidwa suport,umbuli bwanji kodi, mufunse Zimbabwe akauzani zimene anaona ndiye inu mukukula mtima kumawauza okuthandizani muli akathane ndi mavuto awo, Are you serious wawa?

Winston Msowoya
Winston Msowoya
8 years ago

Sir,where will you get that economic independence with the national economy on the verge of collapse?For sure,it will take another 51 years before the nation’s economy stands on its feet if we continue to elect leaders on tribal basis than on merits.Right now,Muthalika seems to have reached the zenith of his political honeymoon,his notions are now limited to corruption and the doctrine of divide and rule.Malawi must acknowledge the fact that,Donor nations by far have nothing to loose and in the aforeseable future,his Chinese friends will dump him after getting what they wanted from him.The fact that the Chinese government… Read more »

Wiseman nyirongo
Wiseman nyirongo
8 years ago

Kuzolowela kudya zopasidwa ma nyasa kulilila ma donors

Mwethu
Mwethu
8 years ago

I think its not correct what APM is saying about donors because even though the donors have stopped supporting the budget, they are still pouring in their monies through non-budgetary support, like NGOs and other projects and programs which are not being done by Government. So if he says the donors are tired, why is he applauding the chinese projects because china is also a donor only that people think of the west when they hear the word donor!! And as a leaned person himself he should not think like a village idiot, he should show us that his time… Read more »

mpokosa
mpokosa
8 years ago

guys who r these donors tisamapuse kugulisa umunthu wathu ndi ndalama akatipasa ndalama zaozo azitiuza zo kwatirana amuna tokhatokha?uve,akhalenazo,china woooyeee!!

luviriboy
luviriboy
8 years ago

why waste time crying over the leaving of the donors? At 51 years still depending on donors. We need economic independence Sir.

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