By Nenenji Mlangeni
SOCHI-(MaraviPost)-Malawian tax-payers coughed MK1.2 billion for President Peter Mutharika’s trip to Russia where he is coming back empty handed save for the handshakes, picture opportunities, bread and salt.
We can reveal that Malawi did not get any ‘Russian deal’ from the Russia-Africa summit unlike President Paul Kagame of Rwanda who got a deal for his country worth almost a billion US dollars.
All Malawi got from the summit were a few handshakes, photo opportunities with Russian President Vladimir Putin and bread and salt given to Mutharika on arrival at an Airport in Sochi.
But the tax payers should be very angry and worried after revelations that they coughed almost K1.2 billion to fund Mutharika’s empty trip to Russia.
Mutharika hired a private jet to Russia which was parked at an airport in Sochi for four days waiting for him to finish the meetings and take him back to Malawi at the weekend.
His entourage was also big and included some party loyalists and sympathizers who had nothing to do but shop in Russia.
“The whole amount that government has spent on this Russia trip is amounting to almost K1.2 billion,” revealed a high ranking official in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
Analysts faulted Mutharika for spending ‘so much money’ on ‘unproductive trip’.
“Some of us who followed this summit closely saw that maybe the only few African countries who benefited were Rwanda, South Africa and Nigeria but the rest went there for holiday. It was embarrassing to see some pictures of Mutharika being isolated from everybody and sitting at a table with some Russian security detail with no one to talk to,” said one political analyst.
Mutharika has no regard for the economic situation of the country and showed his impunity when he blew the K1.2 billion for the Russia trip, observed an economic commentator.
“It is more embarrassing when you return from such an expensive trip with nothing to show but handshakes and the bread and salt that you were given to eat,” he said.
Mutharika touted the Russia trip saying he was going to ‘discuss’ with Putin some development projects that Russia should help Malawi with.
However, Mutharika had ‘a brief’ 25 minute meeting with Putin.
The only African leader who had a ‘longer’ meeting with Putin was Kagame, no wonder he got one of the best deals at the summit.
Mutharika arrives home from Russia at the weekend.