By Chancy Namadzunda:
President Lazarus Chakwera has ignored calls from some sectors that he should not travel to the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States of America (USA).
Some political commentators and rights activists have been calling for the President’s cancellation of the trip, citing current economic woes as a reason.
Currently, Malawi is faced with shortage of forex, fuel as well as persistent electricity blackouts.
The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) described this as a sign that Malawi is turning into a failed State.
“If the Tonse Alliance Government has no solutions in sight for this crisis, they should accept their shortcomings, step aside and let a competent team lead this country forward,” said HRDC Chairperson Gift Trapence
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Chakwera is set to leave for the Assembly on September, 12, 2022.
In a statement released on Friday, the ministry said the President is to spend 15 days in USA.
“Apart from addressing the General Assembly, His Excellency the President will hold more than 40 other engagements over the course of 15 days, including high-level meetings with world leaders and heads of various international institutions, all geared towards mobilizing over a billion dollars in resources for various sectors in Malawi,” reads the statement in part
On his way to New York, the statement says, Chakwera will stop over in Nairobi, Kenya, where he will attend the inauguration ceremony of William Ruto, President-Elect of the Republic of Kenya, on September 13, 2022.
