Excerpts from President Peter Mutharika’s speech at Mulhako wa Alhomwe cultural event at Chonde in Mulanje, 13 October 2019
Excerpts from President Peter Mutharika's speech at Mulhako wa Alhomwe cultural event at Chonde in Mulanje, 13 October 2019
This is a ceremony of celebration. We are seeing people from
different tribes because this is unity in diversity.
There is nothing wrong with celebrating our cultures. There
is nothing wrong with celebrating unity in diversity.
We should not use culture to divide the country.
We should be a hardworking people. We should be a self-dependent
people.
Let us be a peaceful people. Malawi has always been known as a peaceful country.
Some people do not want peace in this country. We are
building while they are destroying. This is not good.
We must always live above hate. Hate is evil. Hate is for
evil people. We must live above all evil.
We must never, never hate another tribe. No tribe is
superior over another tribe. We must never use one tribe to fight another
tribe.
We must never revenge evil with evil.
We must never allow frustrated and failed politicians to
divide and confuse us as Malawians.
Let us cultivate a culture of peace in our various tribes.
Let us also maintain only traditions that are progressive.
Some traditions are retrogressive. We must stop traditions that spread HIV/AIDS
and encourage early marriages. Let us encourage young girls to finish their
school.
Above all, let us unite to develop this country. We are all
Malawians.
President Peter Mutharika holds roundtable discussions with former US President George W. Bush at Bloomberg Global business forum in New York.
New York, September 21, 2019: President Professor Peter Mutharika arrived in New York in the United States of America on Thursday to attend this year’s 74th United Nations General Assembly.
The president, who was accompanied by the First Lady, Professor Gertrude Mutharika, was welcomed at the JFK International Airport by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Francis Kasaila, Malawi’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Perks Ligoya and Defense advisor, Brigadier General George Jaffu.
From the airport, the Mutharikas were driven to their hotel where they were also welcomed by Ministers of Health and Population, Jappie Mhango, Education Science and Technology, Dr. William Susuwele Banda, Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Mary Thom Navicha, Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Bintony Kutsaira and Malawi’s ambassador to Washington, Edward Sawerengera and Malawi delegation to the UN.
Mutharika is expected to deliver his statement to the General Assembly on September 26, 2019 and will be the eighth president to address the Assembly on the day after the President of the Federative States of Micronesia and before the President of Brunei Darussalam.
According to https://www.un.org, this year’s UNGA runs from September 17 to September 30 with the opening ceremony of the 74th Session of the UNGA on Tuesday, September 24.
Other high level events include Climate Action Summit and Universal Health Coverage on September 23; UN High level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on September 24 and 25 and on September 26 a high level dialogue on financing for development and high level meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons and another high level meeting on September 27 to review progress made in addressing the priorities of small island developing States (SIDS) through the implementation of the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Francis Kasaila justified Malawi’s annual attendance at the UNGA saying the country is part of the global community which has to share global experiences.
“All member countries attend UNGA without exception and therefore Malawi has to attend too. The assembly gives us an opportunity to raise our issues and commitments to the globe and the kind of support we are looking for from the entire world,” said Kasaila.
During last year’s UNGA, Mutharka gave what several leaders described as the best speech in which he spoke against hypocrisy in the United Nations. His speech centred on the lack of two permanent African countries on the UN Security Council.
Malawi President Mutharika DPP gurus into campaign trail in readiness for fresh election
By Nenenji Mlangeni
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi President Peter Muntharika has waken up from his slumber after receiving cautions from the Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale to start preparing for two outcomes either to win or loose in the Presidential case.
This publication understands that Attorney General (AG) Kalekeni Kaphale last week on Tuesday told Muntharika that chances to win in the ongoing Presidential case are minimal following to the high number of irregularities encountered and brought before the Constitution Court.
AG Kaphale assured Muntharika that himself and other lawyers will try all their level best to defend urging Muntharika to start campaign now.
He alleges that it will be too late for him to start campaign after nullification of Presidential results as people will have no more trust in him After Judges denied bribe from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Eventually, President started his campaign on Wednesday by inviting Soccer members from Nyasa Big Bullets and Wanderers.
During that meeting Mutharika promised them two stadiums to be built at Kanjedza and Zingwangwa in Blantyre respectively.
The President also sent his trusted boy, Local government Minister Ben Phiri to boost moral with Limbe Market vendors and make good promise.
On Thursday, Mutharika toured several projects in Blantyre and went to Blantyre Market were he bought bonya, dried fish, eggplants, beans among others.
Later on Thursday evening the Muntharika had a meeting with Mchacha, Ben Phiri and other DPP members
During that meeting he urged these senior DPP officials to start boosting high moral in Southern parts of Malawi alleging that they can take Leadership with massive votes from Southern Region of Malawi.
Since declared as winner in the disputed May 21 polls, Mutharika has been living in hibernation from people of central and northern regions.
The President has been in the Eastern and Southern region fearing to meet other regions people.
Not only that Mutharika has been failing to attend international meeting thereby delegating his deputy Everton Chimulirenji.
Some quarters of the society has nicknamed his as “Southern region governor” for living in fear.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Supreme Court of Appeal on Thursday, August 15 dismissed the appeal by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Presidential Candidate Peter Mutharika and Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to stop the election case.
This means the ongoing case in the Constitutional Court will continue.
The matter was heard by a panel of seven judges which included the Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda, Justice Dunstain Mwaungulu, Edward Twea,Lovemore Chikopa, Rezine Mzikamanda, Anthony Kamanga and Edgar Kapanda.
Justice Andrew Nyirenda had to pronounce his ruling on the matter.
“Our answer is yes, these matters are appealable under provisions 21 and 23. Proceeding from there, we notice a couple of issues; (A) there are no notice appeal files by the first appellant (b) there is a notice of appeal by the second appellant but the matters are matters raised by the first appellant and not the second appellant in the court below.”
“Having made these observations, having heard the skeleton arguments and having heard counsel this morning orally and having considered the matter in entirety we dismiss the matter with costs,” rules the Supreme Court.
This is another slap in the face of Attorney General (AG) Kalekeni Kaphale effort to discredit the election case.
Oppositions Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM Party (UTM) are seeking court intervention over the disputed May 21 polls for fresh elections due electoral fraud.
Mass being conducted during the funeral service for Patrick Mbewe
Written by Felix Mponda MBC
President Peter Mutharika on Wednesday led thousands of mourners to pay glowing tribute to one of Malawi’s eminent entrepreneurs, philanthropist and former cabinet minister Patrick Mbewe for being a “freedom fighter” during the struggle against one party rule in the early 1990s.
“It was not easy to fight against one party state, but Hon Mbewe sacrificed his resources to help bring multiparty politics,” Local Government and Rural Development Minister Kondwani Nankhumwa was speaking when he represented President Mutharika at a burial ceremony of the former minister at Tawa Estate in Chiradzulu District.
Mbewe died on Saturday in Blantyre from kidney complications, according to a clan member Lovemore Munlo.
Mbewe, alongside the first multiparty President, Dr. Bakili Muluzi and other activists, launched the United Democratic Front as an underground movement in 1992 to fight for pluralism.
The UDF won the 1994 elections and Muluzi became the first multiparty President, after defeating Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda of the MCP.
He appointed Mbewe to serve in various ministerial positions, including Local Government, Tourism and Transport.
Nankhumwa said because Mbewe practiced “smart politics” without castigating others, was principled and selflessly contributed to the development of the country, Mutharika had directed that he should be accorded full military honours, complete with three volleys and a parade mounted by soldiers of the Malawi Defence Force.
Mbewe’s expensive dome casket, draped with the national flag, was carried by military pallbearers, from the estate house to the new family graveyard, a stone throw away.
Archbishop Tarsizio Ziyaye of Lilongwe Diocese, who led mass to honour Mbewe’s contribution to the church, said the former minister “served both government and the church well.”
Described as a devout Catholic, Mbewe helped the Montfort Parish to acquire land where the new imposing church has been built. He also financially backed many projects of the church in Blantyre and his home district, church leaders said.
Vicar General Boniface Tamani, in his euology said Christians should reflect on Mbewe’s death and ask themselves how people will remember them.
“Some of you are rich people, but do you use your resources for the good of others as Mbewe did?” he asked.
He urged the faithful to “give back to God by helping those in need.”
Mbewe’s funeral united politicians from different parties, including UTM’s Saulos Chilima, Lazarus Chakwera of MCP and Atupele Muluzi from UDF.
Mbewe, a close associate of former President Dr Bakili Muluzi, was co-patron of the UDF.
This year, we celebrate 54 years of independence. We also celebrate the fact that for the first time ever, a sitting president has been directly mentioned in an investigation report as a beneficiary of a fraudulent and corrupt procurement deal. Corruption. Every sane person must hate corruption. It affects us all. Be it a Passport taking ages to be processed because the processing officer wants some sort of a ‘motivation’ to do their job or failing to land that contract you know you deserve because you were not willing to offer a kickback to the procurement team, or general poor service delivery because prices and costs were inflated, and inept personnel were hired. We are all affected.
The recent leaked investigative report on the circumstances surrounding the award of the contract of providing meal rations to the Malawi Police to Pioneer Investments has aroused different reactions. Many people are angry, some are disappointed, others indifferent. Many, however, cannot wait to “oust these thieves” next year. After all, the polls are only less than a year away from now. Continue reading Z Allan Ntata’s Uncommon Sense: WHY WE CANNOT TRUST ELECTIONS TO CURB CORRUPTION→
President Mutharika commissioned the $13 million Kalenge Water Treatment works in Chitipa
President Arthur Peter Mutharika this week, faulted Malawians who brand the Northern Region as the ‘Dead North,’ and described those who do so as leaders without a vision for the Region.
Speaking Tuesday in Chitipa, during the commissioning of Chitipa Water Supply System, Mutharika said the Northern Region deserves meaningful development.
Chanco remains closed since December 2016 following lecturers’ strike
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)- The country’s Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC), which is an alliance of 82 local and international organizations, with partners in education sector, on Tuesday asked President Peter Muthalika to exercise prerogative powers to resolve the current primary teachers’ and the Chancellor College lecturers strikes.
The CSEC’s call comes amid the response from Education Minister Emmanuel Fabiano, and President Mutharika, who are pushing the matter to University of Malawi (UNIMA) Council and Finance Ministry as the responsible departments on the two strikes.
The CSEC said the current education impasse is regrettable, and that it will lead to examination malpractice, corruption and other social vices in the society.
Addressing a news conference in the capital Lilongwe, CSEC Executive Director Benedicto Kondowe, asked Mutharika to use the constitutional powers to move institutions including the UNIMA Council, in the best interest of Malawi and its people.
Kondowe said the President’s prerogative powers to dissolve the University Council if such proves to be failures on the matter, then the new team can be recruited to resolve the challenges.
When asked whether Muthalika will succumb to that call, considering that past Chanco academic strikes, Council failed to take action, Kondowe said Mutharika holds the highest post in the land and he does not always have to be reminded on what to do for serious issues affecting the nation.
“It is evident that the Chancellor College saga is slowly but manifestly degenerating into another crisis, since the college has been closed for six months.
“While we recognize the roles of different institutions in democracy, we implore that enough is enough, and that the college must be opened immediately. If neither the UNIMA Council nor Chancellor College Management can move, the President has the constitutional power to move institutions in the best interest of Malawians and the national at large,” Kondowe said.
One of the concerned parents at Chanco, Paul Chikwekwe shared the same sentiments that Muthalika was now the last man standing on the matter, after all avenues to resolve the matter yielded no positive results.
Chikwekwe said as a parent, the impasse has derailed the university’s reputation, with students are now idle at their homes.
Even, the budget session of Parliament that is currently in session in the capital Lilongwe, on Monday nearly developed into pandemonium, after the main Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Salima North-West Jessie Kabwira, moved a motion to curtain the day’s deliberation to pave the away for Government to address the teachers’ nationwide strikes with urgency.
MP Kabwira went further and asked Minister of Education Emmanuel Fabiano to resign for being accused of gross of incompetence and ineptitude in handling the teachers’ woes and the labor disputes at Chancellor College, a constituent of University of Malawi. Lecturers have been on strike for over half a year.
Kabwira, who stood to contribute on 2017/2018 National budget statement presented in the House by Finance Minister Godall Gondwe last month, accused Minister Fabiano for being inept and relaxed in the chamber, when the country was rearing from the effects of the teachers’ strike.
She was contributing after reports reached Parliament that public primary school students in Blantyre, Salima, and Balaka, had spilled into streets, protesting against the closure of schools due to the ongoing teachers’ strike.
The legopoliticomedy (i.e. comedy of a legal and political nature) in what is rightly called ‘maizegate’ has now come to an end with the passing of the Supreme Court judgment reinstating Dr. George Chaponda as Minister of Agriculture. But more importantly, the maizegate comedy has died after the Commission of Inquiry handed its report on the maizegate to the president on Friday, 9 February 2017.
Pres. Peter Mutharika: will he act on the recommendations of the maizegate inquiry?
Of special interest in the report’s findings is the shady dealings at Admarc and Dr. Chaponda’s involvement with Transglobe in the maize procurement. To this end, the report recommends that heads roll at Admarc and that Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigates Dr. Chaponda’s role in the maize scandal.
It is worth pointing out that the recommendations by the maizegate inquiry are both objective and insightful. As a matter of fact, the commissioners have delivered beyond Malawians’ expectation.
The report be as objective and insightful as it is, Malawians are rightly concerned that President Peter Mutharika may not act at all on the recommendations of the inquiry.
These concerns are not without foundation. President Mutharika was recently quoted as saying that the maizegate issue is useless and that talking about it is just a waste of time.
President Mutharika said: “We should stop writing negative stories about our country. For example, the issue of maize is useless. It is false. We have wasted a lot of time talking about it, yet there is nothing wrong which happened. We should stop that.”
Given the above statements from the president, it is doubtful if he will see to it that the Commission of Inquiry was not another waste of resources as is almost always true of Commissions of Inquiry.
The general expectations from Malawians is that the maizegate inquiry should tell a different story about Commissions of Inquiry by ensuring that the report findings are acted upon with the seriousness they deserve.
It is, therefore, a plea to President Mutharika to show leadership skills by leaving politics aside and letting his profession side of him to govern at least for once.
Mutharika should thus desist from making pre-emptive statements exonerating those involved in the maize procurement scandal in a way that shows bias and, to be frank, in a way that is regrettably unpresidential.
So, as the maizegate inquiry report recommends, let us see president Mutharika act so that heads roll at Admarc. Let us see ACB grow teeth and bite as far hard and deep in Dr. Chaponda’s flesh. For the president will surely lose Malawians’ faith in him if he does nothing in light of the report’s findings as that will mean that he does not mean business.
Mr. president, the maizegate inquiry recommendations represents an axe which you must use to chop off heads at Admarc. They also give you an insight as to how unpatriotic officers in government ministries and departments abuse their offices in order to benefit from them inappropriately.
Make every effort Mr. president Mutharika to ensure that the maizegate inquiry recommendations see the light of day. Do that. And do it as soon as is practicable. And, at least for once, give Malawians a reason to smile!
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Malawi leader Arthur Peter Mutharika will tomorrow, Monday June 13, 2016 attend commemorations marking this year’s International Albinism Awareness Day in Kasungu district, State House has confirmed.
