UTM Party says it has withdrawn plans to construct a memorial pillar at Nthungwa in Chikangawa Forest, where their party’s first president and former State vice president Saulos Chilima died in a plane crash with eight others.
UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala has confirmed the development, saying the party’s decision has been made after realising that the government has plans to do the same.
Speaking at a political rally that UTM president Dalitso Kabambe conducted in Mzuzu City recently, UTM national campaign director Maquenda Chunga said the party wanted to inaugurate the memorial pillar during the first memorial service, which is scheduled for June 10 this year at Nthungwa site.
“The government is planning to construct a memorial pillar there and we stopped our plan after the government came up with the plan,” Njawala said.
Government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu said President Lazarus Chakwera values Chilima and the others who died in the plane crash.
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Kunkuyu said the government would respect how the Chilima family and relatives of other deceased persons would want to remember their loved ones.
However, Kunkuyu said the government would complement family plans and commit public resources to elements within the memorial plan.
“Government has had briefings with many interested parties and the family. We will respect how families would want to remember their beloved ones and the government will complement that with governmental honours in recognition of the service people like the late Chilima offered to the nation,” Kunkuyu said.
He further said the government would use public resources to support the events, adding that budgets and other arrangements would be communicated later.
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In an interview, Ben Chilima confirmed working with the government on the memorial plans but said the family agreed to hold a memorial mass at Nsipe and, thereafter, lay wreaths.
“Our plans remain that the event will be held at Nsipe. As you know, Saulos Chilima was a devoted Catholic and there will be a mass. We have heard people talking about Nthungwa but we are yet to hear from the government about what other plans they have. Otherwise, we are meeting on Tuesday on the same issue,” Chilima said.
The memorial events mark one year since Chilima and others died last year.
The others are Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri, who was former first lady and adviser in the Office of the Vice President; Abdul Lapkeni, who was the deputy chief of protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Lucas Kapheni, the vice president’s guard commander; Chisomo Chimaneni, the vice president’s aide-de-camp; and Daniel Kanyemba, the vice president’s medical officer.
Crew members who were operating the Malawi Defence Force plane and died in the accident are Colonel Owen Lewis Sambalopa, the pilot-in-command; Major Florence Selemani, co-pilot; and Major Wales Aidin, the flight engineer.
