Tenthani says journos did not deserve Mutharika’s ‘allowance’
Freelance journalist Raphael Tenthani has said State House or the Ministry of Information must not mistake his gesture to donate the K50,000 he received after attending an interface with President Peter Mutharika to the special fund journalists created to assist veteran journalist Limbani Moya’s kidney transplant in India as mocking them.
Speaking after presenting the donation to the fund’s chairman Anthony Kasunda in Blantyre, Tenthani said he decided to donate the money because journalists did not deserve the hefty allowance just for attending the Sanjika Palace meeting last week Tuesday.
“We were given the impression that we are going to receive a booklet detailing President Mutharika’s vision of a free press in Malawi only to discover the package included a blank notepad, a pen and an envelope containing K50,000,” he said.
Tenthani said nobody explained what the money was for.
“I would like to believe that the money was given in good faith and, in my view, it would have been disrespectful to return it. But I believe we did not deserve it so, since we already got it, I have decided to give it to somebody who really needs assistance at the moment,” he said.
Minister of Information Kondwani Nankhumwa announced that before leaving the palace the invited journalists should collect a folder which contained President Mutharika’s vision for a free press in Malawi.
But to the surprise of the journalists the folder contained an embossed folder with President Mutharika insignia but with a blank notepad inside, a Mutharika personalised pen and an envelope containing the money.
The journalist, who strings for a number of international media houses including the BBC, AP and PANA, said there are worthy causes such money can be used for including referring patients outside the country for specialised treatment.
“That is why I have decided to donate the money to the Limbani fund,” he said.
Tenthani, with nearly two decades of local and international reporting under his arm, nonetheless said government must be frugal how it uses money in these austerity times.
“Money is never enough to anybody, even Peter Mutharika or Barack Obama – even Bill Gates or Aliko Dangote – but at least I can afford a decent life by my own considered standards. There are more worthy causes the K50,000s that was splashed on the 100 journalists that Tuesday could have gone to,” he said.
Receiving the donation, Kasunda thanked Tenthani and encouraged others to do the same.
“Let’s help our friend, Limbani, in his time of need,” he said.
Moya, who has worked for both Times Group of Companies and Nation publications Limited, flew to India earlier this month and has a shortfall of K1.25m to complete his operation.
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Tentanthani you must very stupid.Well, let me tell you chichewa.M’mene umaonekera iwe ndiwe munthu womvetsa chisoni ngakhale uli ntolankhani. Ndalama zomwe unalandirazo antchito ako umawapatsa 10 000 pano mukufuna kuoneka ngati mashasha bullshit.Whatever you can say DPP will go forward and we can fund our beloved party whenever there is problem. Stop talking nonsense.
Why not write a cheque mr tenthani? Now do we really know where that money in cash will go?
Dear friends,
Suppose as many say, the money given to journalists was defraud from govmt coffers. Thats then, money stolen from government, money robbed from government.
Here is the question . Can money rightly believed to have been stolen be used for a good cause? Will us the “sick”, the “orphans” be happy to receive or get assistance from money stolen from government or indeed anywhere?
If there was a sick mother and loving son, yet the loving son is helpless where to find money and then robs me to assist that sick mother, I would perhaps understand. But why would journalists, instead of helping anyone or indeed Mr. Moya, use money that is believed to have been stolen from government? Why cant you journalist use money from your own pocket if you want to assist for a good cause? and return the stolen money with respect back to the thief? Or deposit it back to the government account?
With due respect I dont think many people “sick” or “orphans” would happily receive any assistance from whatsoever source just because they need it.
Inu bwana Kasunda, and all of us in need of assistance please lets look into this carefully. Some may be sick and desparate but for sure the source of assistance matters. or does it not matter?
Thee journo who returned back the money there and then has a clear conscious.
I totally feel this was an inducement in disguise to get favours from the journalists as has done with the so called activitists. I can see peter creating a nation whereby nobody questions him as nobody will be able to denounce his actions? Now busy to diverge our attetion from national issues by pressing hard on cashgaters so we should not think about economic woes. God help Peter realise he can bride all but still some will stand up against the intended silence by him.
Tenthani anangokhuta ndaalamazo. Akungofuna kupanga dzina chabe kuti ndiokana ziphuphu. But the president didn’t tell you not to write bad about his administration. Ife ma janalist ochokera ku mpoto we deserved that allowance for lodging and transport. So well done Mr President for your gift. It really helped me cutter for some crusho events. Further more the president did not force anyone to take the money.
Maneb Answer Sheet 2014 Social Study MASCE.
Examiner check contributor Old APM # 5 below
Question # 1
Amene wagawiridwa ndalama za kuba sanabe koma amene amagayo. Mawu amenewa adalankhula ndi amene adauza mtundu wa a Malawi kuti iyeyo akumuziwa amene waombera Mphwiyo. Ndipo ameneyonso adanena kuti nthawi yakwana kuti azimai atakate, ndipo adatakadi kuzera mu cashgate pothandizidwa ndi Lutepo.
Pa malawi macomedy sadzatha ndithu.
Journalists as well as other officials ask for allowance anytime you invite them to cover or attend a function. It is a fact that most of these journalists are poorly paid by their institutions. If you happen not to give them allowance or if they see that it small amount they always make a lot of noise and worse still they will not report anything about the function. Now lets agree what should we do from now on?
Amene wagawiridwa ndalama zakuba sanabe nawo koma yemwe amagawayo ndiye wakuba, who said these words????? 20 marks.
kkkkkk wakuba ndi wogawayo
This is nothing but a publicity stunt by Tenthani, baasi. Wagwa nazo. He originally meant to keep the money! The holier-than-thou attitude finally caught up with him.
Chances are this guy would have kept the money, if the gift was not “exposed” as some people claim is what happened.
I could not agree with you more!
The writings are on the wall,plain enough to be seen whether or not you agree!! This is total madness from our journalists. When he got the envelope,where did he open it? How long did it take for him to open it? When he found money inside,what did he think the money was for? Did he make any attempt to ask the giver about it? Why didn’t he mention it in his muckracking? Why did he wait for the South Africa based law expert to expose it? We don’t need to look beyond our hedge to prove Tenthani and his friends didn’t think of being bribed. He is aware that when journalists have been invited for such functions,they are paid. The amount varies from one institution to another or from an individual to another. We have paid these journalists several times,that’s why they didn’t see an issue here. Donating the money doesn’t erase the fact that it was received and accepted without knowing what it was for. If I may ask,is Tenthani donating the money because he wants to see Limbani out of his sickbed or because he wants to rid the money he received? I think donating this to Limbani just because he doesn’t want to be associated with it,is in itself an insult not to the government that gave him the money,but Limbani
You journals you have been gagged never to write about other people receiing or giving handouts ever again, except for Tukula. The rest should walk heads down in shame.
If these lame journalists are being sincere in returning the money then they should return all the money in envelopes they have been receiving since the Bakili Muluzi time. Trust me, they will have to repay a lot of money!
Manyazi ulibe iwe eti! Accept your sin and ask for Gods forgiveness otherwise you are going down together with your gvt. God is not your playmate
Mphatso sakana you did well Mr Tenthani converting what you received to a donation. What a great man!