Mutharika will not launch Malawi national ID project Wednesday: Postponed
President Peter Mutharika will not go ahead to launch the national identity cards (IDs) project on Wednesday as it was earlier announced, both the State House and National Registration Bureau have confirmed the postponement of the function.
The national IDs will address the challenges Malawians have long faced due to the absence of the documents.
Malawi is the only country in southern Africa without such IDs for its citizens.
The President, who returned home Sunday after a weeks-long visit to the United States that sparked rumours over his health, was expected launch the project at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
But the public expressed doubts that Mutharika was not in “robust health” as it were earlier claimed that he would launch the project.
However, State House spokesman and presidential press officer Mgeme Kalilani told Nyasa Times on Tuesday the State House has been informed by the Registration Bureau of the postponement on Monday evening.
According to Kalilani the President was all set for the launch.
Registration Bureau spokesman Norman Fulatula said the cancellation of the launch has nothing to do with the President.
He said there were some shortfalls that they want to address before thelaunch of IDs project.
The cancellation will spark more rumours of the president’s ill health which continued with his return when used his left hand to wave to a crowd of supporters and to shake hands with officials.
More speculation among Malawians continued with other spreading information that Mutharika has beenflown out of the country for treatment.
But government says “sickening rumours” are appalling.
The ID’s project is a milestone of the Mutharika government as Malawians currently use driving licenses, passports, and in some cases voter registration certificates as proof of their citizenship in places and institutions where identification is needed.
Those who don’t have such documents are asked to bring any person with a passport or driving license to be a witness.
Malawians who cannot fulfill such requiremenrts cannot get assistance in places like commercial banks and money lending institutions.
Health authorities say the absence of national IDs is putting strain on medical resources because foreigners come to take advantage of free medical services in public hospitals, particularly in border districts.
Campaigners against child trafficking also say lack of identification is contributing to an increase in trafficking cases.
Malawi’s government introduced the National Registration Bureau in 2007 to oversee the process of issuing national identity documents.
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Lets go back into history. President Mutharika and his First Lady left Malawi on October 25th , 2011 to attend the Commonwealth Summit in Australia, which ended on 31st October 2011. Then, he simply disappeared. On November 14th, 2011, under pressure from Malawians, who wanted to know the whereabouts of the President, the DPP Executives held a Press Conference, at which the then DPP Vice President, made a telephone call to the President in Hong Kong. President Mutharika was forced to deny rumours that he had died, or he was critically ill. He talked to a veteran journalist Dickson Kashoti… Read more »
Norman Fulatila sindidzakukhulupiranso. Wayamba kukamba bodza. You did very well when you were with Zodiak. Now you have changed colors. Why sacrifice your integrity and professionalism with cheap politics.
Akuti Friday 2pm adzatiyankhula, koma anthu ena akuti mkuluyu sakulankhula panopa. Mwina Friday adzakhala atachila. Koma chonde bwana APM mau oti “nonsense” asadzakhalepo. Ino ndi nthawi yofunika kudzichepetsa; musadzipatse stress yopanda ntchito…
A be humane, being a blind dpp follower zidzakuphani. Your friends are telling you the truth, the best you can do is to delink yourselves from the social media because people will never stop chiding the evil dpp and its evil corrupt leaders or accept it leading up to swallowing your pride. MULUNGU SI DPP, SANGALOLE KUMATINZUNZA MWATINZUNZIRAMU. ALL THESE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ARE CONSEQUENCES OF DPP EVIL ACTS. SIMUNATI, EVERYTHING HAS ITS OWN TIME AND YOUR EVIL ACTS ARE WHAT YOU ARE FACING.
APM is not dying, unless God wants. Some of you wish him bad, while some of us are praying for him.
Get well soon APM, in Jesus Name.
When you invite a president to a function and once it is confirmed, the only one who can cancel or postpone it is the president, no one else. That is the simple protocol in government. You don’t invite the president when preparations are not finalised. Don’t treat us like kids!
If it was in North Korea, this Norman Fulatira could and the whole NIB could have been dead by now, how can you invite the HE to an event and then suddenly cancel in the last minute
Panyapako Norman ndi anzinzako achina chaponda mfiti zobisa matenda you are planning another midnight 7 kuteloko munya mumangidwa chaka chake ndichino Goodal, Kaliyati, Henry Mussa, Nankhumwa and Friends get prepared for Maula and Zomba Prison Cells akaidi okuba mbuzi akudikira anyani a cashgate ngati inu mukakhale mabongwe muzikaseta anyapala kumeneko machende wanu nkongo wa manu
Foolish Mgeme Kalilani cheating Malawians.
Bisani matenda koma ujeni simudzabisa