An attempt is starting in Edinburgh to collect 1,000 football shirts for youngsters in Malawi.
City council employees have adopted the idea from an Edinburgh couple who witnessed a project called Play Soccer Malawi during a visit to the country.
The campaigners also want 200 footballs and other items like pumps, training bibs, whistles and referees' kits.
In one area the scheme has 1,700 children signed up but only seven strips among them.
Dr Robert Stewart and his wife Mary visited an area called Malabada, in the township of Ndirande in Malawi, last July and witnessed the impact Play Soccer Malawi had on the lives of the children there.
Run by the Football Association Malawi (FAM) the project runs twice weekly and gives these children in one of the world's poorest nations the opportunity to just be children, and play together.
Dr Stewart said: "The conditions we witnessed in Malawi would be hard for many people living in Scotland to comprehend.
"However, the unbridled joy of the children having the opportunity to play football was truly uplifting to see.
"I think if the football loving people of Scotland knew about this project, they would jump at the chance to lend their support. The Scottish people are famously generous."
Cllr Deidre Brock, Edinburgh Council's culture and sport leader, said: "In this country football is often treated as if it is matter of life and death, but in Malawi this can actually be a reality.
"The health education these children receive during these sessions really could save their lives."
Kit donations can be handed in to any Edinburgh Leisure venue.
Monday, 2 July 2007
Malawi President Mutharika fails to attend AU summit
APA-Lilongwe (Malawi) Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika, still mourning his late wife’s passing, has failed to attend the African Union (AU) leaders summit being held in Accra, Ghana. State House Press Officer Chikumbutso Mtumodzi told APA Monday that Mutharika had instead delegated the Minister responsible for Presidential and Parliamentary Affairs, Davis Katsonga, to represent the country in the Ghanaian capital.
The Minister left the country on Friday for Ghana.
"The President cannot live the country now to attend the summit because he has just finished a 30-day period of morning for the First Lady Ethel Mutharika who died on 28 June. This is why he delegated his minister to represent the country on his behalf," Mtumodzi said.
African leaders and other government officials are meeting in Accra to discuss peacekeeping in Darfur, Sudan, and other war countries, the Zimbabwe crisis and the formation of United States of Africa, among other things.
The Minister left the country on Friday for Ghana.
"The President cannot live the country now to attend the summit because he has just finished a 30-day period of morning for the First Lady Ethel Mutharika who died on 28 June. This is why he delegated his minister to represent the country on his behalf," Mtumodzi said.
African leaders and other government officials are meeting in Accra to discuss peacekeeping in Darfur, Sudan, and other war countries, the Zimbabwe crisis and the formation of United States of Africa, among other things.
Economist describes Malawi’s proposed budget as pro-poor
APA-Lilongwe (Malawi) Malawi’s proposed 2007/08 budget of US$1.2 billion that Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe has presented to parliament is “pro-poor,” an economist said here Monday.
Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN) Executive Director Andrew Kumbatira told journalists in Lilongwe that the budget had allocated more resources for rural development in order to take care of the needs of the poor.
The economist noted that the funding that Gondwe outlined in parliament on Friday was important for the improvement of the masses, particularly the poor segment of society.
"It is expected that the budget can bring about marked enhancement of the quality of life among the poor people of this country," he said.
Gondwe presented to the house 2007/ 2008 a total expenditure of 162.8 billion kwacha (US$1.2 billion) which government hopes to start expending on 1 August – if parliament gives the green light.
Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN) Executive Director Andrew Kumbatira told journalists in Lilongwe that the budget had allocated more resources for rural development in order to take care of the needs of the poor.
The economist noted that the funding that Gondwe outlined in parliament on Friday was important for the improvement of the masses, particularly the poor segment of society.
"It is expected that the budget can bring about marked enhancement of the quality of life among the poor people of this country," he said.
Gondwe presented to the house 2007/ 2008 a total expenditure of 162.8 billion kwacha (US$1.2 billion) which government hopes to start expending on 1 August – if parliament gives the green light.
Help Needed To Expand Outreach
Malawi (MNN) -- A group from Hopegivers International traveled to Malawi in early June and recently returned.
Hopegivers has been working in Malawi since late 2005. "They're following up, doing more detail things for us. They're pouring a foundation for one of our church friends over there and ministering to some of the kids, playing with them, handing out toys, building a basketball goal, and also distributing sewing machines," said Michael Glenn of Hopegivers.
Sewing machines make a huge difference. "When we bring over these sewing machines, we're taking them to some of the people that are part of the church or churches there. They can sew, make clothes for the orphans, and then make additional clothes that they can sell for revenue as well to kind of keep things going and assist financial needs there," said Glenn.
Each person on the trip brought a bag filled strictly with supplies. One of those items has helped expand their ministry. Glenn explained, "We're bringing a specially designed high-protein soup mix. So we've been able to minister to over 17 hospitals, 7 schools, 5 prisons, 9 orphan care centers."
Even though there is persecution just like in the rest of the world, the people of Malawi are very welcoming to the Gospel. "Over there you rarely see a vehicle, so most people are walking or riding a bicycle. It's very wide-open to interact and communicate with people. So they had a chance to get out and do some street ministry," said Glenn.
Prayer and financial help are needed to continue to grow their work in Malawi.
Hopegivers has been working in Malawi since late 2005. "They're following up, doing more detail things for us. They're pouring a foundation for one of our church friends over there and ministering to some of the kids, playing with them, handing out toys, building a basketball goal, and also distributing sewing machines," said Michael Glenn of Hopegivers.
Sewing machines make a huge difference. "When we bring over these sewing machines, we're taking them to some of the people that are part of the church or churches there. They can sew, make clothes for the orphans, and then make additional clothes that they can sell for revenue as well to kind of keep things going and assist financial needs there," said Glenn.
Each person on the trip brought a bag filled strictly with supplies. One of those items has helped expand their ministry. Glenn explained, "We're bringing a specially designed high-protein soup mix. So we've been able to minister to over 17 hospitals, 7 schools, 5 prisons, 9 orphan care centers."
Even though there is persecution just like in the rest of the world, the people of Malawi are very welcoming to the Gospel. "Over there you rarely see a vehicle, so most people are walking or riding a bicycle. It's very wide-open to interact and communicate with people. So they had a chance to get out and do some street ministry," said Glenn.
Prayer and financial help are needed to continue to grow their work in Malawi.
Adidas threatens to drag Malawi football association to court
In a dramatic upshot, Adidas has fired a warning shot to the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) that it risks being dragged to court.
Adidas accused FAM for breaching of contract on their prospective three-year deal to be the official kit supplier to the Malawi national soccer team.
The warning comes in the wake of FAM's recent decision to drop Adidas and engage another giant brand Umbro, website of The Nation newspaper of malawi reported Saturday.
However, FAM president Walter Nyamilandu down played the issue Friday saying his body is not moved with the threat.
An official of Adidas Imad Ghazal, who is handling the kit supply deal, said in an e-mail message from his base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that FAM cannot pull out of the deal because it already signed the contract with his company through CAF two months ago.
"We are actually surprised that FAM has entered into negotiations with Umbro when it signed a contract with us through CAF in Sudan. The president (Nyamilandu) actually did the paper work on behalf of the Malawi Football Association.
"We trust that they (FAM) will abide by the agreement otherwise it might be a breach of contract and we'll be forced to institute legal proceedings," warned Ghazal from Dubai this week.
However, Nyamilandu, while admitting that he did put pen to paper with Adidas, said his association is entitled to make a U-turn if it is not satisfied with the progress of the agreement.
"Yes, we signed but Adidas has done nothing about it. We have not received a signed copy from them, so it is not a done deal.
"To begin with, we did not approach Adidas. The deal was offered through CAF and the only stipulation was the period of delivery. We tried to contact Adidas to make a follow-up on the issue through CAF but we did not get any help.
"You can imagine at one point we were even told that the man who was handling the deal was on leave. Now we are not going to be held at ransom by a party that did not move quickly. We are in a world of competition and we want a better deal," said Nyamilandu Friday.
The FAM leader also said there is an exit clause in the Adidas deal and, therefore, FAM has no reason to lose its sleep.
"As I said the deal with Adidas is taking too long to materialise and our patience has worn very thin. The final decision will be made by the executive committee next week. But looking at the offers that are on the table, it's most likely that we'll go for Umbro because their offer is very lucrative compared to Adidas," said Nyamilandu.
He also said that FAM received a final much-improved offer from Umbro Friday.
"The offer from Umbro is providing an avenue for FAM to go commercial because we will own exclusive rights for their goods and be able to open shops across the country to sell its items in return for a fee or commission from Umbro to go towards the national team. It is very rich in nature as compared to Adidas.
"Unlike the offer from Adidas which only benefits the senior national team in terms of match uniform, the Umbro offer is in three categories-match uniforms, training equipment and casual wear. Junior national teams as well as clubs will also benefit in terms of equipment. So which one do you think will benefit us, Garry?" said Nyamilandu.
But Ghazal brushed aside Nyamilandu's claims that his company is taking too long to kick-start the deal.
"The deal also involves many other associations from Africa and FAM was told that the delivery would take a period of between 180 and 200 days and by signing the contract it meant that they were in agreement to the deal," said Ghazal.
The deal with Adidas includes supplying five sets of uniform to the Flames for free every year and they also will bear the shipping costs.
On the commercial aspect, FAM would have to make an upfront payment for it to order items like replica jerseys for sale. The items are available in Dubai. But in that case, the association has to bear the shipping costs.
Ghazal said the conditions by Adidas are that the Flames will be required to wear their kit in every competitive match until 2010, the year of the World Cup in South Africa.
Normally, the Adidas deal comes with both kit and a substantial pay-out dependent on the team's success.
Adidas accused FAM for breaching of contract on their prospective three-year deal to be the official kit supplier to the Malawi national soccer team.
The warning comes in the wake of FAM's recent decision to drop Adidas and engage another giant brand Umbro, website of The Nation newspaper of malawi reported Saturday.
However, FAM president Walter Nyamilandu down played the issue Friday saying his body is not moved with the threat.
An official of Adidas Imad Ghazal, who is handling the kit supply deal, said in an e-mail message from his base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that FAM cannot pull out of the deal because it already signed the contract with his company through CAF two months ago.
"We are actually surprised that FAM has entered into negotiations with Umbro when it signed a contract with us through CAF in Sudan. The president (Nyamilandu) actually did the paper work on behalf of the Malawi Football Association.
"We trust that they (FAM) will abide by the agreement otherwise it might be a breach of contract and we'll be forced to institute legal proceedings," warned Ghazal from Dubai this week.
However, Nyamilandu, while admitting that he did put pen to paper with Adidas, said his association is entitled to make a U-turn if it is not satisfied with the progress of the agreement.
"Yes, we signed but Adidas has done nothing about it. We have not received a signed copy from them, so it is not a done deal.
"To begin with, we did not approach Adidas. The deal was offered through CAF and the only stipulation was the period of delivery. We tried to contact Adidas to make a follow-up on the issue through CAF but we did not get any help.
"You can imagine at one point we were even told that the man who was handling the deal was on leave. Now we are not going to be held at ransom by a party that did not move quickly. We are in a world of competition and we want a better deal," said Nyamilandu Friday.
The FAM leader also said there is an exit clause in the Adidas deal and, therefore, FAM has no reason to lose its sleep.
"As I said the deal with Adidas is taking too long to materialise and our patience has worn very thin. The final decision will be made by the executive committee next week. But looking at the offers that are on the table, it's most likely that we'll go for Umbro because their offer is very lucrative compared to Adidas," said Nyamilandu.
He also said that FAM received a final much-improved offer from Umbro Friday.
"The offer from Umbro is providing an avenue for FAM to go commercial because we will own exclusive rights for their goods and be able to open shops across the country to sell its items in return for a fee or commission from Umbro to go towards the national team. It is very rich in nature as compared to Adidas.
"Unlike the offer from Adidas which only benefits the senior national team in terms of match uniform, the Umbro offer is in three categories-match uniforms, training equipment and casual wear. Junior national teams as well as clubs will also benefit in terms of equipment. So which one do you think will benefit us, Garry?" said Nyamilandu.
But Ghazal brushed aside Nyamilandu's claims that his company is taking too long to kick-start the deal.
"The deal also involves many other associations from Africa and FAM was told that the delivery would take a period of between 180 and 200 days and by signing the contract it meant that they were in agreement to the deal," said Ghazal.
The deal with Adidas includes supplying five sets of uniform to the Flames for free every year and they also will bear the shipping costs.
On the commercial aspect, FAM would have to make an upfront payment for it to order items like replica jerseys for sale. The items are available in Dubai. But in that case, the association has to bear the shipping costs.
Ghazal said the conditions by Adidas are that the Flames will be required to wear their kit in every competitive match until 2010, the year of the World Cup in South Africa.
Normally, the Adidas deal comes with both kit and a substantial pay-out dependent on the team's success.
Malawi increases salaries for traditional leaders by almost 10 times
The Malawi government has increased salaries for traditional leaders in the country by almost 1,000 percent, a move which opposition parties Friday said is a campaign tool, the website of The Nation newspaper of Malawi reported Saturday.
Justifying the raise in his budget statement Friday, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe said the chiefs, from the position of a paramount chief to a village headman, are a means of deepening the involvement of rural communities in the implementation of projects that have a direct impact on their lives.
He said the communities would be encouraged to initiate their own projects such as construction of classrooms, teachers' houses and boreholes on self-help basis while the government would be assisting with materials.
"In order to mobilize the communities for this program, our traditional leaders will be required to provide leadership. In recognition of this, government has decided that the honoraria paid to chiefs be increased substantially," said Gondwe.
Gondwe said a paramount chief, whose honoraria was at 5,000 kwacha (about 34.71 U.S. dollars), will now be receiving 50,000 kwacha per month while senior traditional authorities will be receiving 30,000 kwacha (140 kwacha equals 1 dollars) and traditional authorities will be receiving 18,000 kwacha.
The Finance Minister said sub-traditional authorities will be receiving 8,000 kwacha while group village headmen and mere headmen will have 1,000 kwacha and 500 kwacha respectively. The new honoraria are with effect from July 1.
"All these changes are conditional, of course, on the approval of the budget by the House," said Gondwe.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson Ishmael Chafukira also said his party has no problems with the increments but said it is clear that the government has effected the increases as a campaign tool and to thank the chiefs for siding with it.
Chairman of the Chief's Council senior chief Kaomba in an interview said the chiefs are delighted with the increment which he said will give them motivation to work hard in development work.
"We did not expect this. This increment will also reduce corruption among the chiefs because sometimes people become corrupt because of poverty," said Kaomba.
On the 1,000 and 500 kwacha increments for the headmen, Kaomba said generally one can never be satisfied with honoraria but said it is their "hope that this would not be the end of the road."
He quashed the suggestion that this is a campaign tool for the government, arguing that even when the chiefs were receiving little honoraria they were still working to support development.
Justifying the raise in his budget statement Friday, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe said the chiefs, from the position of a paramount chief to a village headman, are a means of deepening the involvement of rural communities in the implementation of projects that have a direct impact on their lives.
He said the communities would be encouraged to initiate their own projects such as construction of classrooms, teachers' houses and boreholes on self-help basis while the government would be assisting with materials.
"In order to mobilize the communities for this program, our traditional leaders will be required to provide leadership. In recognition of this, government has decided that the honoraria paid to chiefs be increased substantially," said Gondwe.
Gondwe said a paramount chief, whose honoraria was at 5,000 kwacha (about 34.71 U.S. dollars), will now be receiving 50,000 kwacha per month while senior traditional authorities will be receiving 30,000 kwacha (140 kwacha equals 1 dollars) and traditional authorities will be receiving 18,000 kwacha.
The Finance Minister said sub-traditional authorities will be receiving 8,000 kwacha while group village headmen and mere headmen will have 1,000 kwacha and 500 kwacha respectively. The new honoraria are with effect from July 1.
"All these changes are conditional, of course, on the approval of the budget by the House," said Gondwe.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson Ishmael Chafukira also said his party has no problems with the increments but said it is clear that the government has effected the increases as a campaign tool and to thank the chiefs for siding with it.
Chairman of the Chief's Council senior chief Kaomba in an interview said the chiefs are delighted with the increment which he said will give them motivation to work hard in development work.
"We did not expect this. This increment will also reduce corruption among the chiefs because sometimes people become corrupt because of poverty," said Kaomba.
On the 1,000 and 500 kwacha increments for the headmen, Kaomba said generally one can never be satisfied with honoraria but said it is their "hope that this would not be the end of the road."
He quashed the suggestion that this is a campaign tool for the government, arguing that even when the chiefs were receiving little honoraria they were still working to support development.
Malawi parliament pressures president on funding
LILONGWE, June 29 (Reuters) - Malawi's opposition-controlled parliament approved skeleton emergency funding for government operations on Friday, turning down a larger government request amid a bitter stand-off with President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe had asked for $32 million to keep the government running for four months after passage of the national budget was delayed by a period of mourning for the president's late wife.
But opposition legislators, who control 103 of parliament's 193 seats, approved only $8 million for one month in a move seen pressuring wa Mutharika's government to back down in a dispute over allocation of parliamentary seats.
"In view of the way parliament is presently structured, with injunctions against the Speaker, I don't think we can take such a major decision but instead reduce the amount of money government wants from $32 million to $8 million and reduce the months from four months to a month," opposition leader John Tembo said in parliament.
Gondwe, speaking after the vote, said the funding hold up could have serious effects for Malawi, one of the poorest nations in the world where the majority of people live on less than $1 per day.
"This reduction is going to have its own negative impact because we will have to remove some of the priority spending and concentrate on a few developmental projects," Gondwe told reporters.
Malawi's top court this month upheld a ruling which would prevent legislators who defected to wa Mutharika's breakaway Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from keeping their seats, a move which could leave the DPP with as few as five MPs in Malawi's 193-seat parliament.
Dozens of DPP legislators, including a number of cabinet ministers, this week obtained an injunction to prevent the Speaker from declaring their seats vacant, further infuriating the opposition and spurring Friday's funding vote.
The row comes at a delicate moment. Parliament should have passed this year's national budget by Monday, but the vote was delayed by the official mourning period called following the death of first lady Ethel wa Mutharika in May.
An opposition coalition of the Malawi Congress Party and the United Democratic Front already control 103 seats in parliament, and hope the court ruling on the DPP defectors will give their coalition the two-thirds majority needed to pass measures including constitutional amendments.
Last week the two parties threatened to derail any government business in parliament, including the 2007/08 national budget, unless the speaker was allowed to declare the seats vacant as per court ruling.
Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe had asked for $32 million to keep the government running for four months after passage of the national budget was delayed by a period of mourning for the president's late wife.
But opposition legislators, who control 103 of parliament's 193 seats, approved only $8 million for one month in a move seen pressuring wa Mutharika's government to back down in a dispute over allocation of parliamentary seats.
"In view of the way parliament is presently structured, with injunctions against the Speaker, I don't think we can take such a major decision but instead reduce the amount of money government wants from $32 million to $8 million and reduce the months from four months to a month," opposition leader John Tembo said in parliament.
Gondwe, speaking after the vote, said the funding hold up could have serious effects for Malawi, one of the poorest nations in the world where the majority of people live on less than $1 per day.
"This reduction is going to have its own negative impact because we will have to remove some of the priority spending and concentrate on a few developmental projects," Gondwe told reporters.
Malawi's top court this month upheld a ruling which would prevent legislators who defected to wa Mutharika's breakaway Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from keeping their seats, a move which could leave the DPP with as few as five MPs in Malawi's 193-seat parliament.
Dozens of DPP legislators, including a number of cabinet ministers, this week obtained an injunction to prevent the Speaker from declaring their seats vacant, further infuriating the opposition and spurring Friday's funding vote.
The row comes at a delicate moment. Parliament should have passed this year's national budget by Monday, but the vote was delayed by the official mourning period called following the death of first lady Ethel wa Mutharika in May.
An opposition coalition of the Malawi Congress Party and the United Democratic Front already control 103 seats in parliament, and hope the court ruling on the DPP defectors will give their coalition the two-thirds majority needed to pass measures including constitutional amendments.
Last week the two parties threatened to derail any government business in parliament, including the 2007/08 national budget, unless the speaker was allowed to declare the seats vacant as per court ruling.
Civil servant who made SNP 'racist' jibe quits key post
A TOP civil servant who once compared the SNP to the Omagh bombers has quit weeks after the Nationalists' win in the Holyrood election.
Susan Dalgety, one of the key officials in charge of the Scottish Executive's Malawi initiative, has walked away after Labour's defeat last month.
She has refused to comment on whether her departure is linked to her describing the SNP as being full of "oddballs" and "out-and-out racists".
Dalgety was a high-profile civil servant who joined the Executive after Jack McConnell became first minister.
A one-time Labour councillor, she became one of McConnell's press aides and acquired a reputation for being one of his closest confidantes.
She was then rewarded with the plum post of international communications manager, which involved her working on the Executive's policy of sending aid to Malawi.
Dalgety was paid around £50,000 a year to work with the Malawi media and help oversee the "co-operation agreement" struck between the Executive and the impoverished country.
However, she was said to be "gutted" after the SNP won last month's Holyrood election and was unsure whether she had a future under the Nationalist administration.
Her Labour loyalties and queasy attitude towards the SNP are said to have informed her decision to quit last week. The Sunday Herald understands her resignation was made around the same time her new bosses were reminded about a column she wrote before joining the Executive.
Written in 1998, when she was a Labour councillor, Dalgety stated: "I detest the Scottish National Party and everything it stands for."
She continued: "Scratch below the almost acceptable surface of Smarmy Alex Salmond and his small band of MPs and his barmy army is exposed as an assortment of oddballs, extremists and out-and-out racists."
Dalgety then compared the SNP to the IRA: "We need to look no further than the butchery of Omagh to see for ourselves what happens when nationalism gets out of control. Innocent children die."
She concluded: "Readers might find my gut reaction to the SNP overdramatic, but I love Scotland too much to stand by and watch it succumb to the intolerant, adolescent demands of bigots."
Dalgety informed her colleagues on Friday of her decision to quit, and her valedictory email even contained a dig at the new first minister.
"I have also been very privileged to have worked with some wonderful people here at the Executive, talented, committed, people (yes, you) who help make Scotland the best small country in the world," she said.
Salmond, much to the fury of the outgoing Executive, had mocked McConnell's "best small country" slogan.
One Executive source said: "Her resignation suits both sides. I don't think she would have found it comfortable working with us."
Dalgety is said to be considering a variety of options about her future, and has been tipped for a research post for the Labour group at Holyrood.
She said yesterday: "I want a change in direction."
Asked if she would have quit had McConnell remained as first minister, she said: "I have got nothing else to say."
Susan Dalgety, one of the key officials in charge of the Scottish Executive's Malawi initiative, has walked away after Labour's defeat last month.
She has refused to comment on whether her departure is linked to her describing the SNP as being full of "oddballs" and "out-and-out racists".
Dalgety was a high-profile civil servant who joined the Executive after Jack McConnell became first minister.
A one-time Labour councillor, she became one of McConnell's press aides and acquired a reputation for being one of his closest confidantes.
She was then rewarded with the plum post of international communications manager, which involved her working on the Executive's policy of sending aid to Malawi.
Dalgety was paid around £50,000 a year to work with the Malawi media and help oversee the "co-operation agreement" struck between the Executive and the impoverished country.
However, she was said to be "gutted" after the SNP won last month's Holyrood election and was unsure whether she had a future under the Nationalist administration.
Her Labour loyalties and queasy attitude towards the SNP are said to have informed her decision to quit last week. The Sunday Herald understands her resignation was made around the same time her new bosses were reminded about a column she wrote before joining the Executive.
Written in 1998, when she was a Labour councillor, Dalgety stated: "I detest the Scottish National Party and everything it stands for."
She continued: "Scratch below the almost acceptable surface of Smarmy Alex Salmond and his small band of MPs and his barmy army is exposed as an assortment of oddballs, extremists and out-and-out racists."
Dalgety then compared the SNP to the IRA: "We need to look no further than the butchery of Omagh to see for ourselves what happens when nationalism gets out of control. Innocent children die."
She concluded: "Readers might find my gut reaction to the SNP overdramatic, but I love Scotland too much to stand by and watch it succumb to the intolerant, adolescent demands of bigots."
Dalgety informed her colleagues on Friday of her decision to quit, and her valedictory email even contained a dig at the new first minister.
"I have also been very privileged to have worked with some wonderful people here at the Executive, talented, committed, people (yes, you) who help make Scotland the best small country in the world," she said.
Salmond, much to the fury of the outgoing Executive, had mocked McConnell's "best small country" slogan.
One Executive source said: "Her resignation suits both sides. I don't think she would have found it comfortable working with us."
Dalgety is said to be considering a variety of options about her future, and has been tipped for a research post for the Labour group at Holyrood.
She said yesterday: "I want a change in direction."
Asked if she would have quit had McConnell remained as first minister, she said: "I have got nothing else to say."
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