The former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has condemned President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera for calling all Malawi diplomatic Missions ‘Bad Apples’.
“All the bad apples serving in our foreign missions had already been served with letters of recall to come back home,” said Chakwera in his apology to South African President Cril Ramaphosa after his government declared Malawi Diplomats persona non-grata.
Reacting to the comment, DPP’s National Organizing Secretary Chimwemwe Chipungu said Chakwera’s remarks are very unfortunate and not fit to be made by the head of state.
“DPP is dismayed by the statement made by Chakwera describing Malawi’s Heads of Diplomatic Missions in ALL Malawi Diplomatic missions abroad as ‘bad apples’.
This is unfortunate language and unfit to be used by a Head of State in reference to Malawi’s serving representatives abroad,” said Chipungu in a statement
The statement further added: “We have observed that the President is recalling all Malawi’s Heads of Missions abroad. Those recalls were made way before the South African incident, and have nothing to do with that incident. As we said earlier, that is his prerogative. However, all the Heads of Malawi Missions abroad cannot be described as ‘bad apples’.
They are, in fact, men and women without blemish on their professional and diplomatic conduct. To publicly call these men and women ‘bad apples’ while they are still in their posts, in very unfortunate and smacks of diplomatic inexperience. We call upon the President to be restrained and judicious in dealing with diplomatic matters.”
While condemning the conducts of some Malawian Diplomatic missions who have been fired by the South African government for abusing their diplomatic privileges, Chipungu said President Chakwera was supposed to stand tall in protecting them not calling them names.
“We acknowledge that it was within the powers and rights of the South African Government, under the law governing international relations, to declare the Malawi diplomats persona non grata.
“However, even in this case, although motivated by the desire to appease and please the South African Government, the President must remain mindful of the fact that the diplomats are his own citizens towards whom he owes a fundamental duty under our Constitution.
The diplomats, while still in South Africa, therefore deserve the protection of their President and their own government. A demure and restrained expression of regret would have been a fitting response by our President towards his South African counterpart,” said Chipungu
South Africa declared Malawi diplomats persona non-grata after they ‘were found guilty of engaging in illicit trade in duty-free alcohol’.
