Former president Peter Mutharika says he does not attend the country’s presidential debates because such events are fraught with corruption, alleging that some candidates are given questions in advance.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate said this in an interview with the media after launching the party’s campaign and manifesto at Katoto Ground in Mzuzu yesterday.
Mutharika alongside incumbent President Lazarus Chakwera, Malawi Congress Party presidential candidate, did not attend the first debate that the Presidential Debates Task Force organised on August 21 in Lilongwe ahead of the September 16 General Election.
He said: “I participated in the debate in 2014 and I discovered that it was corrupt because one of the participants was given questions in advance and I decided never to take part in debates organised in this country.
“I was told that one of the participants was given questions in advance, I took part in good faith, but I am not going to take part in some mumbo-jumbo nonsense, no.”
Three presidential candidates, namely former president Joyce Banda leading People’s Party, United Democratic Front president Atupele Muluzi and UTM Party’s Dalitso Kabambe attended this year’s first debate held last Thursday.
During the rally, Mutharika said his comeback to active politics and decision to contest in the election is aimed at rescuing the country.
“This country has rotten, it’s on fire, and I accepted to come back so that I rescue the country. Although I am not a pastor, but I do what I promise,” he said.
Mutharika said he has established an economic rescue committee, which has not completed its work on how to grow the country’s economy.
He said: “The first thing is that we will make sure we have forex, then we will look at huge debt that the country has. Our manifesto is people-centred. We need to get the economy down to the people, not concentrating it at Capital Hill. Let councils do the projects because they know the needs of their communities.”
On her part, DPP running mate Jane Ansah said the leadership under President Lazarus Chakwera is failing to take responsibility for the rising cost of goods in the country.
“When DPP left office [in 2020], inflation rate was around eight percent, but today it’s 36 percent. How then do you blame traders for hiking prices of goods?” she wondered.
National Statistical Office data shows that inflation rate hit 28 percent in July, up from 27.5 percent in June this year. However, Reserve Bank of Malawi has projected inflation to close the year at 32 percent.
