A Malawian cabinet minister turned parliament into a stage for presidential praise-singing on Tuesday afternoon, showering President Arthur Peter Mutharika with glowing tributes during a session meant to answer MPs' questions.
Minister of Local Government Dr Ben Malunga Phiri led the chorus of adulation, crediting the President's "proven leadership" as the key to hope for the country's progressive development.
Answering a question with visible confidence and eloquence, Phiri could not resist spicing up his response with fulsome praise for the man he has served in several capacities over the years -- first as his personal assistant before Mutharika's rise to the presidency, then as his adviser, and now as a minister in his cabinet.
"Under the dynamic leadership of President Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika, APM, Mkulukatamoyo, who is here to deliver," Phiri declared to parliament, invoking the president's popular nickname, which loosely translates as "the great one who brings life."
The display of loyalty is likely to raise eyebrows among observers of Malawian politics, given Phiri's long personal history with the president -- a relationship that predates his own political career and has now come full circle with a cabinet post under the man he once served as an aide.
