No Malawi tax money for Mahatma Gandhi statue in Blantyre: India funding project
Malawi government will not spent any money from the public coffers for a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Blantyre which is being funded by the Indian government and Indian community in the country.
Blantyre City Council has given permission to Indian community in the country to erect a Mahatma Ghandi statue near the Queen Elizabeth Hospital at Ginnery Corner in Blantyre in honour of the man who led India to independence and widely regarded a man who stood for peace.
Contrary to feers that taxpayers’ will have to fork for the Mahatma Ghandi statue, the Indian High Commission in Lilongwe has clarified that the Government of Malawi and the Blantyre City Council have not provided any financial assistance to undertake the project.
“The instillation of the bust of Mahatma Gandhi would be carried out as a collective effort of the Government of India and the Indian community,” Anil Kumar, the media officer High Commission of India Lilongwe told Nyasa Times.
Kumar said the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, India’s greatest freedom struggle icon and the world leader who fought against apartheid, all forms of discrimination and injustice in India and Africa, is proposed to be installed at the junction of Mahatma Gandi Road and Masanko Chipembere Highway at the Ginnery corner.
“Keeping in view the warm and friendly relations between India and Malawi, the esteemed Government of Malawi and the Blantyre City Council had conveyed their kind approval for the installation of the bust at the site mentioned above,” he said.
Blantyre City Council spokesman Anthony Kasunda said the Indian government is bankrolling the project which will also have a Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Centre, saying they have released $10 million.
Some residents of Blantyre who spoke to Nyasa Times said Mahatma Gandhi is an inspiration to current and future generations to live together in peace and harmony and to treat each other with love and respect irrespective of one’s religion, culture or race.
This statue will be a magnificent tribute to one of the most towering figures in the history of world politics.
Who was Gandhi?
- Born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat, India
- Leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule
- Known for his devout Hindu faith and ascetic lifestyle, often dressing only in a loincloth and shawl
- Imprisoned several times during his pursuit of non-violent protest
- Undertook a number of hunger strikes to protest against the oppression of India’s poorest classes
- Often called “Mahatma”, which means “great-souled”, or, in India, “Bapu”, which means “father”
- Assassinated on 30 January 1948 in Delhi, by Nathuram Godse
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It bamboozles me that an educated person can equate the relevance of former or current Malawi heroes with Mahatma Ghandi in fight for world peace. Just google to find out how many major cities have Mahatma’s statue and you will feel sorry for yourself. We already have a major road in Blantyre city named after him why didn’t you call for its renaming before this development? I am sure all this nonsense against erection of the statue is from people north of Chingeni, they are jealousy Blantyre is to have it plus the conference centre and they want it abandoned.
City of Blantyre has been bought by Amwenye! Statues represent a place’s history or culture. What did Mahatma Ghandi do for Malawians? Mumbai needs that statue not Blantyre!
Indians digging in their feet in our land again, for those of you who do not know this Mahatma thing, he only fought for the rights of indian people.He looked upon african people as sub-humans and less deserving yet you want to accord him prminency in our land,to hail with you!! he has no place in our history and there is just no justification for erecting his statue in our land.His descendants are settlers here, need we remind them that? India is a vast country,they can erect a million statues that side,no questions asked but dont come here and impose… Read more »
1) There are Ghandi statues all over the world. In countries he had nothing to do with. So that is not a good argument. 2) Also there are statues of African leaders in India – for example a statue of Mandela in the Indian capital. Why do you think Malawi is so powerless to not be able to put up a statue in India? That is a wrong way of thinking, as if Malawi is so weak and always a victim. Also not a good point. 3) But indeed Ghandi was racist. If people think of racism and not of… Read more »
State capture
Any way for your information Indians your statue is not wanted/ needed in Malawi. keep your gods in India not in my motherland. Ndalama ndi wanu dziko ndi lathu . why kufuna kulowa mkati? Stupid Indians.
Even if India allowed to erect a statue of any Malawian fool with no contribution to world history……How will Malawi the worlds poorest nation fund it ? Poor country poor idiots…
I can’t believe that we are the owners of this country and that we have a leadership that is responsible for steering the country. For God’s sake, what has Malawi got to do with this useless monument! I have read widely about this man and want to agree with one of the contributors that he is the one who promoted the caste system in India which most Indians, including the so-called Indians of Malawi origin, are still using today by treating Malawians as people of a lower caste than them hence the peanut wages. Mangani koma dziwani that we will… Read more »
PLEASE ! PLEASE !! RESPECT YOURSELVES AND MALAWIANS ”–PUT THIS IDOL UNDER YOUR
BED IN YOUR BED ROOM ”MALAWIANS NEED DEVELOPMENT’S NOT STATUES !!!
Resident’s of Blantyre, let us rise up, and seek Court intervention, to stop this gandhi statute nonsense.
Yes, we are poor. But, being poor should not be a crime. What is wrong with our leaders? Someone is not wishing this government, well.