Dausi says JB ‘nursing shock defeat’
Spokesman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Nicholous Dausi has said former president Joyce Banda is “nursing shock defeat” to President Peter Mutharika in the May 20 elections and doubts if she will be able to meet her successor next week.
Mutharika plans to meet with all losing opposition candidate including Banda of the People’s Party (PP), Atupele Muluzi from the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
Dausi, however, doubted the availability of Banda, who did not symbolically hand over power or attend Mutharika’s official inauguration ceremony last Monday.
The DPP spokesman said President Mutharika seeks to meet the former president despite the possibility that she might decline the offer.
“The former president is still nursing the shock defeat [and] it’s understandable,” said Dausi on Friday.
He told Voice of America that it remains Mutharika’s intention to meet Banda “so that together they can talk [about] issues, iron out differences and forget about the past and move forward, as one people, as one nation.”
According to Dausi. The newly elected President wants to meet the former president to resolve any tensions as part of a reconciliation measure to unite the country.
He pointed out that the President will seek advice and opinions from his opponents about the way forward to resolve the country’s myriad challenges.
“He wants to see how best Malawian problems can be resolved how best we can salvage our country from its total collapse,” said Dausi.
“By getting [a] diversity of ideas, it is believed that the president will make a wider consultation to get view points from various political leaders who contested. In that way, in unity though in diversity, we can develop our country.”
Dausi said the country has challenges but is confident Mutharika could come with solutions to resolve the challenges.
“Man-made problems have man-made solutions, and we believe that with the donor cooperation and with our cooperating partners, with very brave and brazen financial discipline,” said Dausi. “If we can deal with corruption lethargy and incompetence in government places, if we can resolve the maladministration, if we can deal with mediocrity…only then can we develop our country.”
Malawi’s Electoral Commission declared opposition leader Mutharika winner of the presidential vote in the May 20 tripartite elections.
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