
…President ordered to cancel Tanzania trip
Analysts and social commentators have said that Malawi’s President, Lazarus Chakwera, does not respect the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) despite being its Commander-in-Chief.
The sentiments follow President Chakwera’s trip to Tanzania despite the country mourning the loss of its officers in the M23 terror attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Commentators on social media and others who spoke on strict condition of anonymity described Chakwera’s trip as an “insult to the MDF and officers who put their lives on the line for the country during peacekeeping missions”.
“Without the Malawi Army, Chakwera would not have been President today. The MDF ensured that pro-Chakwera demonstrations in 2019 and 2020 were safeguarded following the presidential elections, which were later annulled by the courts,” said one social commentator based in Leeds, UK.
Chakwera is set to attend a two-day energy summit in Dar es Salaam, convened by the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Chakwera, who departs for Tanzania tomorrow (Monday, 27 January 2025), is expected to return home on Wednesday, 29 January 2025.
The government has announced that he will sign a $300 million (approximately 800 billion Malawi Kwacha) loan to finance the country’s energy sector. However, commentators have been highly critical of Chakwera’s trip, accusing him of misplaced priorities and poor judgement amidst ongoing crises.
Another renowned commentator in Berlin, who also refused to be named due to recent arrests of individuals holding dissenting views about the current regime, said that Chakwera’s decision to travel to Tanzania while soldiers are dying in the DRC demonstrates a lack of sound judgement.
“He is visiting a country that has already claimed a portion of Lake Malawi as its own, while the soldiers we would rely upon to defend Malawi, should Tanzania persist in its claim, are dying due to terror attacks. What message is he sending to the Malawi Army, whose Commander-in-Chief he is?” queried the analyst who has a doctorate with specialism in diplomacy and international relations.
Her sentiments were echoed by a renowned social commentator based in Zurich, who only said “He loves the Malawi Army uniforms for aesthetics and photo ops. Is this the love the Commander in Chief has for the officers?”
Malawians commenting on our story about the trip have said, “Chakwera may as well not return” due to his poor leadership and lack of remorse for the loss of our army officers.
“He shows no remorse for the loss of life, just as he did with the untimely demise of Vice President Saulos Chilima in a plane crash. First, the search team was called off prematurely, and this was followed by his lacklustre approach in setting up an independent and credible inquiry into the crash. What a caring leader,” sarcastically commented one reader.
“It is not surprising. Everyone knows he would not turn down an opportunity for globetrotting,” said another, who reminded fellow readers of the reason Chakwera is nicknamed Siku Transport on social media.
Malawi24 is unable to publish some of the more scathing comments, as they contain explicit remarks that would breach our ethical standards.
Meanwhile, the UN is holding an emergency meeting following the terror attacks by M23 militias, which the international community alleges are backed by Rwanda.