Rights body rubbishes Mutharika’s speech

The Centre for Development of People (Cedep), a local human rights organisation in Malawi, has branded President Peter Mutharika’s national address on Monday as a missed opportunity to inspire hope in Malawians.

A statement signed by Cedep executive director Gift Trapence says Mutharika failed to clearly explain to Malawians what he and his government are doing to take the country out of its numerous problems and instead he focused on “petty and negligible” issues.

The organisation has since appealed to Malawians to stop being spectators when things are becoming worse, saying the country belongs to each and every Malawian.

“Nothing will really change with just discussions on the worsening state of affairs only on social media. There is a need for action. The President and the government take us for granted due to such culture. It is high time we stood up for our rights. Today is the tomorrow we would like to see,” reads the statement in part.

On Monday night, the President outlined a list of public investment programmes aimed at bailing the country out of socio-economic woes.

However, in the 35-minute national address, Mutharika fell short of outlining a road map on how such ambitious programmes would be financed.

While acknowledging the challenges facing the country, the President said accepting the presence of problems was the first step in solving them. n