Peter snubs JB invitation

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Peter Mutharika yesterday was not among opposition political party leaders who showed up for a meeting called by President Joyce Banda at Kamuzu Palace.

Banda convened the meeting to brief and appraise the opposition on the progress of the mediation process regarding the Lake Malawi dispute between Malawi and Tanzania, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Ephraim Chiume, who attended the closed-door meeting.

In her brief welcome remarks to the leaders, President Banda said just like she did in the past to call the opposition leaders for a discussion, she thought it was important again to meet the other leaders and brief them on matters of national importance.

“We may be from different political parties with different ideologies and beliefs, but at the end of it all it comes down to this country of ours,” she said.

The government side had Chiume, Vice-President Khumbo Kachali, Minister of Lands and Housing Henry Phoya and People’s Party (PP) secretary general Henry Chibwana.

In an interview after the meeting which lasted almost two hours, Chiume only said the two sides discussed the Lake Malawi dispute as the President wanted to brief opposition leaders on the progress of the mediation championed by former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano.

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president John Tembo and his United Democratic Front (UDF) counterpart Atupele Muluzi confirmed the agenda of the meeting but could not immediately say whether the opposition was satisfied with the progress so far.

This is the second time that President Banda has called the opposition leaders to update them on the Lake Malawi dispute.

Those that attended the meeting included Tembo, Muluzi, Alliance for Democracy (Aford) president Godfrey Shaba, People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) leader Mark Katsonga, Friday Jumbe of New Labour Party and New Republican Party (NRP) president Alexander Ngulube.

Other participants were veteran politician Gwanda Chakuamba, academician Brown Chimphamba and historian Desmond Dudwa Phiri, while the DPP was represented by its Leader in Parliament George Chaponda and People’s Transformation Party (Petra) was represented by its secretary general Chimwemwe Mtuwa