Leckford Mwanza Thotho

Last updated

Leckford Mwanza Thotho is a politician who served as Minister of Information and then Minister of Defense in Malawi between 2009 and 2011.

Thotho ran on the Democratic Progressive Party ticket in the May 2009 elections, and was elected MP for Dowa North East. [1] Thotho was appointed Minister of Information and Civil Education, with Kingsley Namakwa as his deputy, in the cabinet that became effective on 15 June 2009. [2]

In March 2010, the Scottish government announced that they would suspend aid to organizations in Malawi that discriminated against gays. Thotho responded by saying "We may be poor but money will not force us to legalise these acts of immorality because we are not such a society and we have more pressing human rights abuses that we need to pay attention to than gay rights". [3] This followed the conviction of a same-sex couple for gross indecency after they held a symbolic same-sex marriage. Thotho defended the decision on the basis of customary Malawian morality. He compared the ban on same-sex marriage in Malawi to that on polygamous marriage in the United States. [4]

In March 2010, Thotho defended a decision to purchase a presidential jet for US$13.26 million, saying purchase was cheaper than rental. The opposition called the decision irresponsible given the poverty of the people of Malawi. [5] In July 2010, Thotho commissioned a K77 million multi-purpose community Tele-Center in Mzanza. The center would give rural people access to the internet. [6] Thotho caused controversy during his term as Minister of Information with his campaign to change the national flag of Malawi. [7]

Thotho was appointed Minister of Defense in a cabinet reshuffle announced on 9 August 2010. [8] On 10 January 2011, Thotho was dropped from his position as Minister of Defense. Although no official reason was given, newspapers speculated that the cause was his decision to purchase arms from the United Kingdom, as recommended by the Army, rather than from China, as preferred by President Bingu wa Mutharika. Another reason could have been that he apologized to the government of Mozambique for the action of Colonel James Kalipinde in sailing on prohibited waters of Mozambique. [9] After the firing, the President assumed direct responsibility for the Ministry of Defense. [1]

Related Research Articles

Bingu wa Mutharika President of Malawi from 2004 to 2012

Bingu wa Mutharika was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Democratic Progressive Party, which he founded in February 2005; it obtained a majority in Malawi's parliament in the 2009 general election.

Joyce Banda President of Malawi from 2012 to 2014

Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician who was the President of Malawi from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She is the founder and leader of the People's Party, created in 2011. An educator and grassroots women's rights activist, she was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and the Vice-President of Malawi from May 2009 to April 2012. She had served in various roles as a member of Parliament and as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare before she became the President of the Republic of Malawi.

LGBT rights in Malawi

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Malawi face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents.

Callista Chimombo

Madame Callista Chapola-Chimombo is a Malawian politician and the widow of President Bingu wa Mutharika. She served as the First Lady of the Republic of Malawi from 2010 to 2012. Chimombo is a previous member of the Cabinet of Malawi as a National Coordinator of Maternal, Infant and Child Health and HIV/Nutrition/Malaria and Tuberculosis.

2009 Malawian general election

General elections were held in Malawi on 19 May 2009. Incumbent President Bingu wa Mutharika ran for re-election; his main opponent was John Tembo, the president of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Five other candidates also ran. The election was won by Mutharika, who was re-elected to the Presidency with around two-thirds of the vote. Mutharika's DPP also won a strong parliamentary majority.

Goodall Gondwe

Goodall Edward Gondwe is a Malawian economist who served in the cabinet of Malawi as Minister of Finance from 2014 to 2019. Previously he was Minister of Finance from 2004 to 2009, Minister of Local Government from 2009 to 2010, and Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment Affairs from 2011 to 2012.

Human rights in Malawi

The history of human rights in Malawi during recent decades is complicated, and the situation at present is in a state of dramatic, and positive, transition.

Peter Mutharika President of Malawi from 2014 to 2020

Arthur Peter Mutharika is a Malawian politician and lawyer who was President of Malawi from May 2014 to June 2020. Mutharika has worked in the field of international justice, specialising in international economic law, international law and comparative constitutional law. He informally served as an adviser to his older brother, President Bingu wa Mutharika, on issues of foreign and domestic policy from the onset of his election campaign until the President's death on 5 April 2012.

Atupele Muluzi

Atupele Muluzi is a Malawian politician, businessman and was a Member of Parliament for Machinga North East constituency from 2004 until May 27, 2019. He is also the President of the United Democratic Front and was a presidential candidate during the 2019 election. He was a running mate in the 2020 presidential elections, on a coalition ticket with incumbent President Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party. Muluzi was Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining from 2014 to 2015 and the only opposition member to serve in the Mutharika administration. Subsequently, he served as Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security in 2015, and then Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in 2015. He is currently Minister of Health. He is the son of former president Bakili Muluzi.

Professor Peter Nelson Mwanza is a Malawian politician. He was appointed Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi on 17 June 2009. He was reassigned to become Minister of Agriculture and Food Security in a cabinet reshuffle on 9 August 2010.

Margaret Roka Mauwa is an expert in agriculture who, in June 2009, became Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security in the cabinet of Malawi.

Patricia Annie Kaliati is a Malawian politician and former educator who has held various ministerial positions in the Cabinet of Malawi.

Sidik Mia was a Malawian businessman, politician, and Member of Parliament who held various ministerial positions within the Cabinet of Malawi beginning in 2004, serving as Minister of Transport and Public Works since June 2020. He was the Deputy President of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) until his death due to COVID-19 related illness on 12 January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malawi. He stood as the vice presidential running mate to Dr. Lazarus Chakwera in the 2019 Malawian general election.

The 2011 Malawi protests were protests aimed at winning political and economic reforms or concessions from the government of Malawi. On 20 July, Malawian organisations protested against perceived poor economic management and poor governance by President Bingu wa Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party. After the first two days of protests, 18 deaths, 98 serious injuries and 275 arrests had been reported. Further demonstrations were organised on 17 August and 21 September The first protest was later cancelled due to the intervention of a UN representative in initiating a dialogue; however, the talks broke down with more protests planned for Red Wednesday through a national vigil.

Catherine Gotani Hara Malawian politician

Catherine Gotani Hara is a Malawian politician who has been the Speaker of the National Assembly since June 2019, the first woman to hold the position.

This is a list of past cabinets in Malawi that preceded the current cabinet of Malawi.

The 2012 Malawian constitutional crisis occurred from April 5, 2012 - April 7, 2012 after senior members of the Democratic Progressive Party-led cabinet failed to notify the public of the death of the sitting president, Bingu wa Mutharika on April 5. Instead, cabinet ministers held a series of meetings in Lilongwe, Malawi without vice-president Joyce Banda with the aim of undermining the constitution and Banda's succession to Presidency. News confirming his death had, however, quickly spread across the country through word of mouth, cellphone text messages, Malawian bloggers, Twitter, Facebook, and on listservs by the end of the day on April 5, 2012. Therefore, the failure to announce his death resulted in speculation over the real health of the president and over whether the succession procedures would be followed as outlined in the constitution. According to the constitution, the vice-president takes over but there had been no official word on a successor or communication with the vice-president. Amidst growing speculation, the Cabinet announced that the president's brother, Peter Mutharika, the foreign minister, was the new President of the party on April 6. The Cabinet only announced his death two days after his death, after which Banda became Malawi's first female President.

Raphael (Ralph) Tenthani was a freelance journalist from Malawi. Tenthani was a BBC correspondent and a columnist for The Sunday Times. He was a respected journalist in Malawi well known for his popular column, "The Muckraking". He was well known for providing political analysis on topical issues. He had been the subject of controversy for his candid reporting on political issues. He was very critical of the crackdown on journalism during the Bingu wa Mutharika administration. He was also a columnist for Associated Press, Pan African News Agency, and the Maravi Post.

Vitus-Gregory Gondwe is a Malawian journalist, editor and media consultant. He also runs his own social, music and business analysis blog. He is known for his investigative stories. He also writes on Business news. He has been a contributor to several newspapers in Malawi, and has worked for the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation as correspondent. He is a Malawi correspondent for the Associated Press, as well as a regular correspondent for BizCommunity and BiztechAfrica. He has contributed to a number of news sources worldwide since 1993. He also regularly writes about freedom of Press and the media industry.

2014 Malawian general election

General elections were held in Malawi on 20 May 2014. They were Malawi's first tripartite elections, the first time the president, National Assembly and local councillors were elected on the same day. The presidential election was won by opposition candidate Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party, who defeated incumbent President Joyce Banda.

References

  1. 1 2 LITA GAMA (11 January 2011). "Thotho says his firing as Defense Minister has not come as surprise". Lilongwe Times. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  2. ↑ "Malawi's 43 member cabinet list as unveiled by President Mutharika". Nyasa Times. 17 June 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  3. ↑ Jason Allardyce and Mabvuto Banda (March 28, 2010). "SNP to axe aid to Malawi causes that shun gay rights". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  4. ↑ "Polygamy is Illegal in US as Is Homosexuality in Malawi". Malawi Voice. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  5. ↑ Peter Clottey (March 10, 2010). "Malawi Opposition Figure Slams Untimely Purchase of Presidential Jet". Voice of America. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  6. ↑ Eliah Nthara (14 July 2010). "Thotho commissioms K77 m tele-contre". The Nation. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  7. ↑ Emmanuel Muwamba (12 January 2011). "People are better judges - Thotho". The Nation. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  8. ↑ "MALAWI CABINET AS OF AUGUST 9, 2010" (PDF). Government of Malawi. Retrieved 2011-03-03.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Thotho fired for foiling Bingu's 'arms deal'". Nyasa Times. January 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-05.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.