UK newspaper criticises Mutharika’s ‘luxury’ hotel expenses paid by Scotland
The UK daily newspaper, Times has unfairly criticised President Peter Mutharika and his entourage of ignoring the state of poverty in Malawi by staying in a very expensive hotel while on their recent visit to Scotland – the bill money wasn’t paid by Lilongwe but the host government.
In a story , The Times reported in a ridicule of Malawi impoverishment that Mutharika and his six-strong entourage racked up a five-star hotel bill in Scotland large enough to feed hundreds of Malawi children for a year.
The story has caused angry reaction by both Scottish taxpayers and concerned Malawians. Scottish taxpayers helped pay the costs of Mutharika’s bill in Prestonfield House, Edinburgh, last week.
According to the Times, the cost of just a single suite for one night is up to £450 — more than 30 times the £14 needed to feed a child for a year in Malawi. In contrast, Prestonfield House promises an “opulent individual style that is unrivalled anywhere else in the city”, with “Edinburgh’s most luxurious rooms andsuites”
The Scottish government has been one of the consisted donors to Malawi giving at least £2.7m to Malawi each year as part of its overseas aid budget. Recently they have just announced funding to assist the Malawian College of Medicine make improvements through collaboration with Glasgow University.
The British Conservative Party commenting on the development said “There’s clearly merit in supporting Malawi when it comes to tackling poverty. But quite how putting up a government entourage in one of Scotland’s most expensive hotels achieves that is a mystery. People will wonder about the priorities of this arrangement when such luxury is being footed by the taxpayer.”
The Malawi opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera has been quoted expressing concern about the expense while calling for an end to this type of wastefulness.
The Scottish Government defended the expenses saying “It is standard practice for the Scottish government to host a visiting head of state and their presidential party for their official programme ,The official presidential party for this visit totalled six people and was part of a wider UK visit, with some of the costs met by external partners and the UK government.”
.President Mutharika has been on visit to the UK to attend the commonwealth heads of state meetings, of which he extended his tour to Visit Scotland .
On the travel bill and expenses footed by Malawi government, the President has an austerity spirit.
Are you serious and sure that a Malawian child needs only £14 to eat for the whole year…52 weeks? Hmm.
If accommodation at Tongole wilderness Lodge that is inside Nkhotakota wildlife reserve costs U$D900/person per night (if its a couple U$D1800/night) so u wanted the whole president to sleep in a K10,000 hotel?…next you will say he should have traveled by Bus to Scotland to save money used for the Air travel
Nothing wrong here. Our president deserves top-class accommodation. By the way, Prince Charles moves with his toilet and food all over the world.
aPeter aMutharika tisalimbane nawo , muthu uyu kwawo kwambiri mkunja amakonda ma Hotel kusiyana ndi a Malawi palibe chachilendo apa atsogoleri a DPP amakhala akunja amagirini card ,no green card no DPP leader.
What I am interested in is if the sponsored delegates also claimed a hefty allowance for the whole period even though they knew that they were going to be sponsored.
This shows the limited knowledge of those who are criticising APM, no one forced them to meet the expense and here they are complaining. They are failing to make the arguments which are valid and sound , it seems Scottish have nothing to say or to put something on the paper. You have to think twice before you voice out your feelings. I don’t see any connection, Malawi being a poor nation and him spending some days in the luxury hotel, this invalid and unsound arguments they are only found among those who are irrational and they don’t have soul… Read more »
Useless article.
No child can eat £14 the whole year, may in Scotland but not in Malawi.
Even here in Malawi I pay more than 14 pounds for a room in a local lodge.
Makape musatitole
The story lacks credibility, its the Scottish govt that booked the hotel for the guests. There is no story here
The is the problem when you are poor, people can say all sorts of things about you. Whoever wrote this story does he really beleive £14 (K14,000) can feed a child a year.
And the President said the trip was successful. The Scottish are crying for their money. Now they see how luxirious African leaders can behave. Indeed this money could have used pay for food for starving Malawians where 34% of children under weight, only 39 US dollars is per capita for healthcare. I can see how others can see the problem. You dont suck your host that like