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| National |
| Bingu takes friends on state trip |
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by
Pilirani Semu-Banda, 06 December 2004
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09:34:34
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President Bingu wa Mutharika took with him personal guests when he attended a United Nations (UN) conference on land mines in Kenya last week, a move that opposition parties and economists have said is improper and shows lack of financial prudence.
Mutharika has also been accused of extravagance following his frequent external trips and bloated entourages.
Reports indicate that Mutharika was accompanied by four journalists each from Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Television Malawi (TVM) when he is only supposed to take with him two from each of the state broadcasters.
“The extra journalists went as the President’s personal guests,” said a source who did not want to be named.
The source also said a group of UDF supporters, who have been rallying behind Mutharika in the division that is in the ruling party and call themselves “concerned citizens”, was also among the President’s personal guests on the trip.
MCP second vice president Nicholas Dausi said on Sunday the President is being seen to be “extravagant and not sticking to his vow of financial prudence”.
“We heard that he took with him personal guests. [Bakili] Muluzi was blamed for that during his tenure and here is Mutharika doing the same. MCP hates that,” said Dausi.
He said Mutharika should be more concerned with the “ever-declining standards of living and the need for farm inputs than the enjoyment of his friends”.
“In fact, he is travelling too much. He goes for trips that are not even very relevant to us as a country,” said Dausi.
People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) president Aleke Banda also said some of the meetings Mutharika is going for could be attended by his ministers.
“Our resources are very meagre. The number of people the President travels with is quite big but if a minister goes for a meeting, he does not take with him a lot of people,” said Banda.
He also said the Kenya meeting was not “very crucial” to Malawi and that a relevant minister could have gone there instead of Mutharika.
“In fact many countries were represented by ministers at that meeting,” said Banda.
An economist who did not want to be named said he hoped that Mutharika’s frequent trips and his bloated delegation are within the President’s budget.
“Most likely, the frequency at which the President travels and the size of his entourage will end up in overexpenditure,” said the economist.
Malawi Economic Justice Network (Mejn) national coordinator Collins Magalasi said he is in the process of verifying whether Mutharika’s trips are within the budget but said it is improper of him to take personal guests because he is only supposed to travel with people that “add value” to the function he is going for.
“The nation accused the former president of these same things. Chiefs, party supporters and friends do not add any value to a President’s entourage,” said Magalasi.
He said the President can only be excused for the frequent external trips if he is making them to acquaint himself with other leaders and organisations since he is a new president.
Both government spokesman Ken Lipenga and Mutharika’s spokesman Prescott Gonani could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
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