Peter Mutharika speaks on economy, arrests
By Jameson Chauluka& Sam Banda Jnr:. Former president Peter Mutharika Sunday said, while the country is swimming in troubled waters, the Tonse Alliance is busy arresting and persecuting DPP sympathisers and those of Mutharika’ s ethnic group. Mutharika said this at a press briefing at his Page House in Mangochi.
By Jameson Chauluka & Sam Banda Jnr:
Former president Peter Mutharika Sunday said, while the country is swimming in troubled waters, the Tonse Alliance is busy arresting and persecuting DPP sympathisers and those of Mutharika’s (Lhomwe) ethnic group.
Mutharika said this at a press briefing at his Page House in Mangochi.
Mutharika called for the press to address the nation on the state of affairs of the country in terms of politics and the economy.
At the briefing, Mutharika started by addressing the issue of his alleged involvement in the murder of Macdonald Masambuka, a 22-year-old man with albinism.
He said he does not believe that any person would get rich by using a person with albinism’s body parts, calling the idea “very stupid”.
He reiterated that he left a report of a commission of inquiry on deaths of people with albinism for incumbent president Lazarus Chakwera’s action.
On the state of affairs in the DPP, Mutharika said the party is sailing through troubled waters because it is not used to being in the opposition.
He said everything will be okay again and they will do their level best to bounce back in power and rescue the country from what he calls a “bad government”.
He said is being approached to contest in 2025 but will make a decision at an appropriate time.
“We have a pilot who sees nothing, hears nothing, knows nothing and does nothing. He said it himself that if he does not change how the country is run in two years, he will resign. He has not changed anything and, in fact, the country is worse off and, as such, he must resign,” he said.
Taking turns, various DPP senior officials including Mutharika’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba, National Government Council member George Chaponda, director of legal affairs Charles Mhango, Eastern Region vice president Bright Msaka and others also accused the Tonse Alliance administration of failing to cushion Malawians from the shocks of the rising cost of living.
In another development, Mutharika, Sunday made the claim that his brother Bingu, who died in 2012 aged 78, was assassinated through poisoning.
“It is true that Bingu was poisoned. Something was put in his orange juice at 8 o’clock in the morning and later he died of what was reported to be cardiac arrest. He had no history of cardiac arrest whatsoever. I know the type of poison that was used and I know the people involved but I will not name them,” he said.
Reacting to Mutharika’s claims that Bingu was poisoned, legal expert John Gift Mwakhwawa called on the Malawi Police Service to question Mutharika as regards his allegations that his brother was killed.
“When did he know about it? There has to be immediate investigations by the police. The former president has to be questioned; otherwise, this is something sensitive, coming from a person who held the high office of president,” Mwakhwawa said.
“The former president cannot be speculating and his remarks, being sensitive, have the intention to cause alarm and discontent and incite people to violence,” he said.
On claims that the current administration has failed to steer Malawi to prosperity, Information Minister and government spokesperson Gospel Kazako wondered why the DPP did not develop the country when it was in power.
“I hope they can define prosecution and persecution. Whether he [Mutharika] will contest or not; doesn’t concern us. It is their party issue. We are just wondering why he couldn’t bail out this country during the many years DPP was in government.
“Malawians are very lucky people; lucky that they can see the people who plundered [resources of] this country appearing on TV. The people who promised them Mombera, Singapore can appear on TV. These are politically bereaved people. All the economic statistics and data they were presenting are, of course, fake. You know they major in fake data. Some of them are actually answering charges of providing fake figures to the IMF and other development partners to paint a positive picture that wasn’t,” he said.