You quit, APM tells Chakwera

Former president Peter Mutharika alongside some opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials yesterday asked President Lazarus Chakwera to resign for allegedly failing to govern the country amid a worsening economic situation.

But Minister of Information and Digitisation Gospel Kazako, who is the official government spokesperson, laughed off the calls, saying Chakwera and Tonse Alliance are “not moving an inch” out of Capital Hill.

Speaking during a news conference at his beachside home in Mangochi, Mutharika, who turns 82 today, said his successor has failed to show decisive leadership which he promised Malawians.

He said since Chakwera promised to resign after two years if he failed to govern, the DPP holds the view that he has failed, as such, should step aside.

Said Mutharika: “There are analysts who always blame the DPP for the current challenges being faced in this country. They [analysts] also say the DPP is weak for failing to provide an oversight but that is not the case.

“But if there is anyone to blame, it must be the Tonse Alliance because it has failed to live by its campaign promises and not the DPP. Chakwera has failed, he must resign.”

Mutharika further said Malawi has lost direction under the nine-party Tonse Alliance administration Chakwera leads. He cited the rise in the cost of living that continues to affect the citizenry as one area his successor was failing.

He dismissed assertions that the economic impact of Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have worsened the situation, arguing that countries such as Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique were pushing forward despite being haunted by similar challenges.

The former president blamed the Chakwera administration for victimising officials from the former DPP government and specifically those from the Southern Region.

While dismissing allegations of his alleged involvement in the killing of persons with albinism, Mutharika said the allegations are aimed at diverting attention from real issues affecting the country.

He said his dream to turn Malawi into Singapore would have come to fruition and that his administration had already sourced funds to transform the lives of Malawians.

“Malawi would have become Singapore. We actually found money to turn around the situation by having good infrastructure such as roads,” said the former president.

The DPP leader went on to condemn arrests of members of his party, describing such moves as a contravention of the rule of law, saying most of the arrests seem to have lost direction in the course of investigations.

Mutharika has since asked Chakwera to stop politicising public projects that were initiated under the DPP administration, advising that the President must give credit where its due.

Taking his turn, Mutharika’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba said Malawians are facing challenges emanating from poor leadership.

He said: “The economy is worsening. We are victims of a failed leadership. President Chakwera doesn’t know anything about the economy and how to alleviate poverty among the people.”

Namalomba, who is also Mangochi South West legislator, said when the DPP left power through the court-sanctioned Fresh Presidential Election on June 23 2020, inflation had averaged 8.63 percent unlike in the current administration which went over 14 percent as at May 2022.

On his part, DPP director of legal affairs Charles Mhango said Chakwera has done nothing during his two-year tenure.

He said Chakwera has failed to promote the rule of law or trim his powerrs and has instead focused on persecuting innocent Malawians.

But Kazako laughed off the sentiments by Mutharika and his DPP colleagues, saying: “These are politically-bereaved people. All they can do is to try to be relevant and take advantage of global economic trends.

“We are not moved an inch. We are moving forward. We are building a new Malawi.”

Reacting to suggestions that disunity in DPP was unhealthy for an opposition party that is supposed to provide checks and balances to the government, Mutharika yesterday said the party is in a rebuilding process and expressed confidence that it will win the 2025 general elections.