Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Peter Mutharika has dismissed assertions that his age could be a factor in the September 16 General Election, declaring that those who feel he is old should not vote for him.
Speaking in an interview at his house in Nyambadwe in Blantyre after a day-long whistle-stop tour on Wednesday, the country’s for-mer president said he is fed up with people who link his candidacy to his age. He will turn 85 in July this year.
Said Mutharika: “I want this stupidity to stop, I am tired of this. If they don’t want me because I am old, let them not vote for me. That’s all.
“In fact, most of the people who make such statements that I am old, just hate me.”
He said if he feels that he cannot campaign or run this country he will resign.
“I am not crying for this job [of President]. I was there for six years, and I am not looking for wealth or anything at all because I already have wealth,” said Mutharika.
He also hinted at a possible electoral alliance with some opposition political parties such as UTM Party, Alliance for Democracy (Aford) and United Democratic Front (UDF), saying they are already work-ing together informally.
Political analysts have since said that by showing interest to stand, Mutharika might have assessed himself that he has the energy to campaign and run the country.
In an interview yesterday, Catholic University of Malawi political sci-ence lecturer Sainala Kalebe said there is nothing wrong for Mutharika to stand because there is no connection between age and leadership.
She said: “To say that this one is too young to lead or too old, gen-erally people are not following that way of thinking anymore. If some-one is old and thinks he can lead and is capable, they should lead.”
On his part, political scientist Ernest Thindwa noted that during the whistle-stop tour on Wednesday Mutharika demonstrated that he still has the energy.
“If he didn’t feel that he has energy and a chance he wouldn’t, but he thinks he has a chance and feels he has the energy to stand as a candidate for DPP,” he said.
Mutharika’s age also came under the spotlight in the disputed 2019 presidential election and the June 2020 court-sanctioned fresh presidential election. However, he also dismissed his critics.
DPP was voted out of government in June 2020 after losing to the then nine-party Tonse Alliance led by Malawi Congress Party presi-dent Lazarus Chakwera and Mutharika’s former number two Saulos Chilima of UTM Party as running mate.
The fresh presidential election followed successful petitions by Chil-ima and Chakwera to the High Court of Malawi sitting as a Consti-tutional Court which was affirmed by the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal.
However, Mutharika, a professor of international law, has consistent-ly described the court judgement and the subsequent call for a fresh election as a judicial coup d’état that denied the masses who voted for him their will.
