President Mutharika calls for patriotism from Malawians in Diaspora
President Peter Mutharika has called on Malawians in diaspora to be patriotic by promoting a positive image of their home country as one way of luring investors to Malawi.
President Mutharika made the call recently at Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York when he met with members of the Malawian community living in the United States of America.
“Think positively about your nation. Do not be misled by the negative news you hear through social media from home.
“When you promote the negative image of your country, you are not hurting me or the government, you are hurting the country by scaring away investors,” Mutharika said.
He further said it is high time Malawians spoke positively about their country, the potential it has to solve and overcome the challenges it is facing.
President Mutharika added that people in diaspora have a crucial role to play in the development of their home countries, citing countries like India and China which traces their economic resuscitation and growth to investments coming from their nationals living abroad,
Closer home in Africa, President Mutharika pointed at Ethiopia which is constructing the Grand Renaissance Dam worth US$5 billion largely from own revenues through bonds with US$1 billion coming from nationals in diaspora.
With Malawi carrying out several reforms in its public sector, the President believes the country is making itself an attractive destination for investment for both local and international investors.
High on the list is the land reforms which he said have eased procedures of accessing land.
“It is becoming a little easier now to acquire land. If you want to put up a house, a hotel or infrastructure, you are welcome to do that,” Mutharika said.
During the interface, the president also highlighted progress in a number of key sectors like construction of roads in urban and rural areas, the unbundling of University of Malawi and rural electrification through hydro and solar power.
With the inflation rate decreasing from 24.3 percent in 2014 to 9.3 percent last month, the economy shows significant progress because it’s for the first time since 2010, inflation rate to hit a single digit, according to Mutharika.
The country’s import cover is now stretched to five months with reserves amounting US$1 billion in both official and private reserves compared to 2014 when the country had one month import cover, the president said.
Before the president’s address, members of the Malawian community in USA cited some challenges they face in terms of sending resources for investment to Malawi as well as delay in processing passports.
“The cost of conducting services through banks in Malawi is high. Malawian banks make unrealistic profits by charging internet fee when you are sending money back home yet here in USA there is no such a fee,” said Priscilla Ali, one of the Malawians in USA.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Emmanuel Fabiano said government is already engaging Malawian banks on how best they can help Malawians abroad in sending their resources back home.
Representative from the Reserve Bank of Malawi, FDH Bank and New Finance Bank (NFB) were present at the meeting to discuss the same.
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APM follows the old saying, ‘Do as I say, not as I do’. These words come so easily from his mouth, yet when do we see him leading Malawi so that the diaspora and all Malawians can be proud of their country and its leaders?
akucita cani kodi azao ose anapita ku UNGA abwererako. wat is he preaching now . guys dont attend to these stupid bastards ,they are using our taxes in the name of diaspora and think we dont know them. from muluzi, bingu ,jiosi everyone has been talking of the dual citizenship once they go abraod kumatikwata ndi chala. come eduvation- ana ao amaphuzila kunja. ma bwana ambili ali ndi dual citizenship- acina nkupalume -munfuse achula azake come zipatala ,iwo akadwala amapita kunja. mankhwala kulibe olo zipatala zoti zitha kwasamalila kulibe . no emmmegercy services koma iwo akafa amaitana helikopta kudzatenga malillo… Read more »
Dual citizenship nde issue yoti galu wokalamba yu should have addressed osati mbwelela aku kambazi.
Even the Malawians who went there are idiots or are relatives of DPP goons.
Nzanu wakuba Mugabe wabwelako inu muzibwelanso . UN meeting yathatu. Kapena fulfilling green card requirement mutu mupusitse anthu apa! Mbuzi ya munthu Muthalika.
So this time everyone must be writing good stories about Malawi. When Jb and Kasambara were in government, was it right for Dpp to encourage it’s primitive cadets to put up demeaning items about Malawi on Facebook?
Was it right for George Chaponda, Ntaba, Ntata, Galaxy Radio to be all over about cashgate? Was it necessary?
Was that not the genesis of scarring away of donors and investors. You are measured is in the same measure you use for others.
Empty address.No issues to talk about. DPP knows is losing the fight against corruption each and every day with billions reportedly missing in all Government departments.Peter knows he is not doing anything on the Massive looting of his brother who left unceremoniously because eating poor Malawians money.Remember he used to preach say-Malawi is Not Poor message in his second term after he discovered easy money from Account Number 1. Some people will think i hate DPP or Peter because they are benefiting from the Looting.Negative publicity is being propagated by your great inability to control the looting.Peter you seem not… Read more »
As one of diaspora I want to say the president has missed some points. We diasporas are the ones who are patriotics. Its in Malawians in the country who are divided in regions and tribes. We dont talk about tribe when they ask us but back home they talk like they are from different countries. Hej the president divided the nation. Second We have asked for dual citizenship but denied and yet We hear Indians get through corruptions. Ethiopia he mentioned have dual citizenship. So do Kenya and even Zambia is on the way. Many countries have dual citizenship. Third:… Read more »
He should first of all be the one to show patriotism by not condoning corrupt activities by himself, his close assosciates and aides, his government ministers and his political party. He should also patriotism by not continuing to stay in the US doing what the Ambassador is supposed to be doing, thereby spending millions and millions of taxpayers money while hospitals have no sufficient drugs, schools have no textbooks and laboratory equipment, electricity blackout is consistent of a war torn country. The list is endless. live by example come back home to solve problems the UN General Assembly is over..
Bwana President-when you tackle corruption and ensure little political interference in what government does and institutions work, the diaspora will speak positively about the country. It is sad that educated and exposed as His Excellency is, his leadership is worse than that of a DPP district chairman. There is no development in Malawi.