Mutharika told to apologise over xenophobic remarks

Jul 25, 2017 Politics 76
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Mutharika

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have asked President Peter Mutharika to apologise following his attack on donors last week.

The organisations, Centre for Development of People (CEDEP) and Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR),  have also condemned in strongest terms the “xenophobic remarks” which Mutharika uttered at a stop-over rally last week.

On Tuesday, July 18 at Biwi in Lilongwe, the president branded donors and international residents as “visitors” who have nothing to do with running the affairs of this country. He also lashed out at CSOs for trying to derail the Salima-Lilongwe Project.

 

Saulos Chilima, Peter Mutharika
‘apologise xenophobic remarks’

The attack came after donors had called on government not to flout procedures when implementing the Salima-Lilongwe Water Project.

In a statement signed by CHRR Executive Director Timothy Mtambo and CEDEP Executive Director Gift Trapence, the two have called upon the president to withdraw his remarks and issue an unconditional apology to the development partners and donors.

“He should also desist from uttering such remarks in future. We expect a citizen elected into the office of the president to have the sophistication of aura and decorum and not make statements that may have a corrosive effect on the constitutionalism of Malawi 23 years after a return to multiparty democracy,” says the statement.

The two have reminded Mutharika that Malawians will not accommodate remarks that risk taking the country back to one party era when voices of transparency and accountability demands were met with scorn and heavy-handedness.

According to the CSOs, Mutharika’s attacks were ill-informed, misplaced and undemocratic. The organisation argues that the president should be the last citizen to demonstrate aversion towards transparency and accountability on development projects in the magnitude of the Salima-Lilongwe Water project.

“The president took an oath to uphold and safeguard the Constitution of Malawi which is firmly founded on an open democratic governance, as stipulated in Chapter III. As such, the president must desist from displaying vestiges of intolerance and dictatorship on matters of national importance,” reads part of the statement.

CHRR and CEDEP have also reminded Mutharika that bilateral or multilateral donors have contributed to the development of this country ever since colonial times by supporting different development projects such as construction of hospitals and schools.

“They have also assisted with funds for recurrent government expenditure and the importance of donors and their contributions to national development in Malawi needs not be overemphasized,” says the statement.

According CEDEP and CHRR, donors and development partners are, thus, justified to demand transparency and accountability in the Salima- Lilongwe Water Project taking into account the issues of corruption that have become prevalent and have contributed to long-standing poverty in the country.

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76 Comments

  1. Dont you see that some donors want to colonise our system. it is wrong to think that Malawians cannot think insependently. this is why most NGO projects lack sustainability once donors pull out, too much dependence on donor knowledge.

  2. Peter sangapepese mbalame zimenezi. nanunso a CSO mapazi anu kwambiri. mitu yofananayo, mapazi opotokera ku mvuma kwa africawo. bwanji sanadandaule eni ake koma inu? mukufuna banzi basi akanda patuwe inu. mache…e anu ndithu

  15. Foolish NGOs kodi amasowa chopanga eti? mzungu mumamuwona ngati ndani wanu.inu zipumi bii bii mungapite ku Washington kukawauza kuti kupha anthu? Fools

  19. You civil society organisation you must also be very stuppit bcz you are not saying anything when these pipo are destroying malawi from their countries and now the president is shouting them you are saying the president shud apologies why? Nosense civil society org.

  20. kudandaula “chonde mwandiponda pa bala!!!” at odandaulaweso upepese kwa okuponda kupusa kumeneko
    APM never apologise to these human like, white animals coz they has heavy pockets and aiding us asatilowe mchala

  23. Zapepetse chani? Ndichifukwa chake dziko lathuli fodya oloma tokha amatipangila mtengo azungu amationa kupusa nthawi yonyengelela nzungu inatha asapepese

  24. Please malawian we don’t need to tell our presdent to apologise on this please please don’t foolish ourselves.. I am telling you malawian that this country can change for doing big projects like this.. And malawian we need to learn to stand by ourselves then we will see something changes. I support on this presdent for this project.. Go on Mr president this is really important issues that can makes the country to stand by self!!!.

  25. Mr president you don’t need to apologise please. Do a project on we all malawian support you for this project. Project will help the country. Don’t just stand for donors please we can’t move on.. Just magene since when Malawi stand for donors and what is changing? Nothing changes so is better to stand by ourselves please. We cannot get better because of donors. Mr president please do your job. So if you don’t do this project wish means malawian will not vote for your party. Because all malawian we are looking for wish party are developing the country.. So if donors doesn’t like this project wish means they donors are not really donors. They just need to foolishing us.because they need malawian to stand for them ever.. Malawi is a country is not a part of another country no.we have a presdent so presdent should do what is can makes a country better like this project for sure it can makes the country change!!!

  33. Ijust want to remind him that he was also foreigner in america and people of america treat him well as human being so he is leading malawi so he must showing good example as leader and who was a foreigner in america so he must must respect the foreigner because they are like him

    2. Sentence consteuction OMG!! he never interfered with their political structure or issues…he had to adjust to whatever they did anali kwawo pano abwela kuno angothandiza ngati afuna kuthandiza osati kumaikaso ma screws

    5. machende anu nonse mukunyoza APM kuti foreigner. kusiyana kwa zipani kusakhale chinthu chokuphimbani mmaso kuti musamaone zoona zenizeni. CSO ikulowerera zinthu zopanda mchere. za ziiii. pali zambiri zomwe iwo angamapange. if you can go deep in their cso group, muona kuti muli ena omwe angokhala ndi mkhwizi ndi bad mind kwa President wawo chifukwa chosiyana kochokera, zipani ndi mtundu. azunguwo si a malawi and peter mmene amakhala kwa America inali school yake ndiye sakunama President.

  36. Apepese chani? Kodi anthu akuti project of that magnitude yotenga madzi ku Lake Malawi sotingayithe koma anuwake tikuwona kutingayithe nde tiyisiye? Munene! Ngati mtsogoleri anawakumbutsa coz amatha kuyiwala kuti ziganizo zina timapanga patokha! Kamuzu mu ma 70’s anamukaniza kuti asalime nsewu wa Lakeshore ndipo iye anawauza kuti amanga. He got money from somewhere. Anawauza pa msokhano, check video yake ku archives, muyipeza.

  43. APM apepese kwa ndani? zopusa eti? Munthu walowa kuchipinda kwako osawodila kukupeza ukucheza ndi akazi ako ndiye iwe mwini nyumba uzipepesanso pomwe wawona malaulo ako? What these donors are doing is meddling with the affairs of our country. We have stayed without their donations for years and we never begged them.I as Kanyimbi declare APM our wise President and no need for an apology to the pink nosed people. Period.

  44. Inu ma CSOs bwanji kukonda zawusilu ndikungokharila zokhotesa khotesa, nkhani prof APM ati asalowerere nkhani zakuchipinda cha malawi, kodi mwana akakwatira kholo limalowa mpaka kuchinda kwa mwanayo?

    2. Vuto ndilimenelo, timaona ngati patokha sitangachite kanthu. Koma dziwani kuti opempha salemela, mapeto ake tizikhala akapolo omangouzidwa zochita.

      Kudalila kupempha basi, tidzafa osauka

    4. Ndipo inu, a blessed country like Malawi, anything is possible. Others are living in desert without kupasidwa kanthu ndi azungu.

      Moyo odalila sitingatukuke

    7. transparency and accountability ndi zimene zimafunika ngati mwathandizidwa,anthu akunjawo amafuna kudziwa kuti ndalama zayenda bwanji ndipo zikusalila pati?zimenezo ndizimene amafuna ma donors.Ndiye nkhani ya maproject awo awa amuthalika akukana kuti anthu asafunse,asadziwe, kumachita kuti anthuwo ndi amene akuwathandiza sichilungamo ichi.

    8. Zachambad2 Zimenezo Ine Nditakupasa Ndalama Kut Ugulire Panti Ndye Ndingamakufunse Kut Undionese. Ngat Asamafuna Nayo Ndalama Yawoyo Anakangokhala Nayo.

  49. ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE COMMENTED ON THIS ARE ALL STUPIT, PALIBEPO NZERU.

  50. APM behaves like Malawi has diamonds, Gold,Copper mines.Please remind him that even those tea plantations in Thyolo district does not bring any foreign currency to our badly damaged economy.
    Kutumbwa ngati kamwana piye.

  54. Kwa amene mukukumbuka m’bale wakenso adachita zomwezi kusafala kumakhala kwa amphawife, I agree that dont apoligise Mr P coz ur stupid.

    1. Maganizo obwerera mbuyo oterewa ndiamene Azungu amawakonda. Kodi Munthu woganiza bwinobwino angakhale ndi Nyumba yake nkumauzidwa ndi Munthu wapadera za m’mene azikhalira ndi zoti azipanga ndi kusapanga?. Takhala zaka pafupifupi zinayi osapempha kwa Azungu mpaka iwo kudabwa ndiye wina woti nzeru zinamutengera kalekale adziti President apepese. Kodi uku kumakhala kuti achikuda tilibe nzeru, chifukwa ulemerero wa Azungu sanapangiridwe m’mene ife timafunira kuti iwo achitire mpaka zaka makumi asanu ngati ozerezeka, chonsecho timati tili pa Ufulu wodzilamulira. Wopempha amadzilamulira nanga kuti adzilamulire, atani koposa kuwonetsa?.

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