The week which has ended was dominated with headlines on gay rights following the arrest of two men, Cuthbert Kulemela and Kelvin Gonani, in the capital Lilongwe for allegedly having consensual sex in private. Now Minister of Justice Samuel Tembenu has said all charges have been dropped following pressure by donors and human rights campaigners. The […]
This week has been about human rights, commemorating international day of human rights on December 10; 16 days of activism against gender-based violence and anti-corruption day. My focus will be about human rights. Human rights include the right for private life and liberty, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, among […]
This Parliament sitting is a pure waste of our time. The first week was spent on comparing and contrasting two speeches. The first one took 25 minutes to deliver and it was by President Peter Mutharika which asked all of us to further tighten our belts. The speech — themed as Building Resilience for Sustainable Development […]
In my entry this week, readers please allow me first to express my sincere appreciation to all those who have contributed immensely to the growth of Nyasa Times publication as we are about to chalk 10 years of online publishing news. It has not been an easy journey. An international accolade, Beffta award which I […]
A few days ago the media was awash with messages of congratulations to President Peter Mutharika and his governing party DPP for apparently accomplishing a US$1.3 billion ace in development aid out of the country’s relationship with Mainland China. The announcement was made at a carefully organized news conference that came almost a month after […]
My grandfather had a popular phrase that he often said when given demands that he considered out-of-sync or simply foolish. He usually said you don’t fix windows when a house is burning. The recent demands by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Commissioners for a 170 percent salary hike exactly fit in the bill. The demand […]
I respectfully differ with furious calls from some sections of the civil society that APM – thus Arthur Peter Mutharika – Malawi Head of State, should step down. The activists argue that Malawi cannot continue with a President who fails to bail out Malawians from numerous challenges including dwindling of health, education, water, power, and […]
President Peter Mutharika and his larger than life entourage are back from the United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) after momentarily escaping from the land of wanton poverty. The merry-making and enjoyment around the pubs of New York by hangers-on have surely come to an end. It is now time for some reality check. President Mutharika […]
President Peter Mutharika presented a moving speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York which had substance. I always follow live UN speeches on the webcast and this year was the third time watching APM – Peter Mutharika as he is fondly called – delivering a speech at UN. Last year was his […]
In reacting to President Peter Mutharika’s move to blow over K300 million on a trip to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with an entourage of 110 people, National Coordinator for Civil Society Agriculture network, Tamani Nkhono Mvula said: “With that amount, you can purchase 3,400 metric tons of maize, which can feed 30,000 people […]
It is not a secret that in the last 15 months, President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) has attended SADC, COMESA and African Union (AU) summits (twice). APM has also spent luxurious nights at the legendary, upscale and historic Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, in Midtown Manhattan while attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) […]
Saturday lunch-hour kick off, Chelsea travel to Everton to fulfill yet another daunting English Premier League fixture. I am a ‘bona fide’ Chelsea fan and I have not made this a secret all along. But I am the first to accept that the ‘Blues’ have made one of their worst Premier League starts in their […]
The past week has been exceptionally historic for Malawi. Chief cashgate suspect Mr. Oswald Lutepo was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment by High Court Judge Redson Edward Kapindu for stealing huge sums of public money. Plunder of public resources, referred to as cashgate, affected the lives of many innocent people and Malawi’s good image globally. […]
The DPP government is fast cruising to a destination. I would have loved to name the destination but I am not able to for the simple reason that I don’t know, and I am sure I am not alone in this predicament. Few people out there can really tell where this country is heading; what […]
Since taking office following the highly contested and controversial polls last year, President Peter Mutharika has spent a high amount of energy and time telling the world and anybody who cares that the biggest challenge for his government has been cashgate, or rather the effects of cashgate. From a synthesis of these high and low […]
Last week the tax-payer funded MBC Television launched a new programme called “Talk to the President” intended for President Peter Mutharika to answer boiling questions on several issues of national concern once a month. -Malawians should see this empty gesture of APM to talk to Malawians for what it is—an empty PR stunt to yield propaganda. […]
In an interview that President Peter Mutharika gave to New African magazine, he summarized his relationship with former presiden Joyce Banda as “not good”. Among the reasons that Mutharika gave for the seemingly frosty relationship with his predecessor was a cocktail of the same old suspect stories. He said Joyce Banda did not attend his […]
Last week, Malawians woke up to the news that the local currency, the kwacha, has tumbled in value against major currencies such as the US dollar. When it is like this, academicians, economists and other commentators often rush with explanations, analyses and theories to make sense of the situation. To an ordinary Malawian, however, this […]