By Cathy Maulidi:
President Lazarus Chakwera is expected to pick 35 people to this year’s United Nations General Assembly (Unga), which is taking place in New York City, United States of America (USA).
Government spokesperson and Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu disclosed this in Times Radio’s ‘Kulinji’ program Monday.
Kunkuyu described the delegation as lean, saying it has been trimmed from an initial bloated figure which he did not disclose.
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“The list has been trimmed by 80 percent. The initial figure was huge but it has been trimmed to the extent that myself and my team in my ministry are not going; from around 12 MDAs [ministries, departments and agencies] that had been invited to only three, representing 80 percent being taken out of the list,” Kunkuyu said.
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He said people from the ministries of Finance, Health and Trade are expected to be part of the delegation, adding that the list of 35 also consists of State House officials, including the President’s security personnel.
“The President [Lazarus Chakwera] and the First Lady [Monica] cannot travel without Aide-de-Camp (ADC); they cannot travel without security, secretariat and other important officials whom we can’t mention here. So, from the 35, you should understand that there are about 15 to 17 people who will be around the President and the First Lady.
“Other presidents have been picking 40 people just from their office. So, when we talk about 35 being the total figure, you see that this figure has been reduced to the bone. Even some people were asking questions, saying they had already prepared for the trip but we told them that the President has ordered that the figure be trimmed,” Kunkuyu said.
Meanwhile, the information minister has indicated that the President is most likely to leave the country by the end of this week.
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However, Church and Society Executive Director Reverend Master Jumbe has insisted that Chakwera should not travel to New York for the assembly.
“If he has any regard for Malawians, who are suffering now, then he will not go on this trip. The country is experiencing forex shortage, hunger, economic challenges and many other problems. It will only be proper for him not to travel and, instead, attend the meeting on Zoom,” Jumbe said.
Echoing Jumbe, political analyst George Phiri said, considering the economic situation in Malawi, it would be better for the President to stay home.
“If he fails to go because of the country’s economic situation, that would send a loud noise that the Malawi President has failed to attend the assembly physically because things are not okay in the country.
“Going to New York will be sending a message that things are well in the country,” he said.
The 78th session of Unga is taking place in New York, USA, with the first day of the high-level general debate commencing on Tuesday, September 19 2023.
The United Nations was established after World War II in an attempt to maintain international peace and security and to achieve cooperation among nations on economic, social, and humanitarian problems.
The General Assembly’s 78th session will be held under the theme ‘Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on The 2030 Agenda and Its Sustainable Development Goals towards Peace, Prosperity, Progress and Sustainability for All’.
