Mutharika hits back at Uladi’s ‘bachelor’ jibe: ‘Unmarried Kamuzu ruled Malawi for 31 years’
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president, Peter Mutharika, has hit back at comments by Minister of Home Affairs and ruling Peoples Party’s senior official Uladi Mussa that the DPP leader can’t make a good Head of State among other things because he is not married.
Mussa has launched a scathing attack on opposition leaders, including Mutharika that he is a “bachelor” and also a “Mtchona”- a person who lived most of his life in diaspora.
Mutharika speaking in an exclusive interview monitored by Nyasa Times on Zodiak Broadcasting Service online streaming said Mussa and the People’s Party are engaging in politics of character assassination because they are clueless in running the government.
“Let them come up with policies to Malawi people not personalities. I will put my policies before the Malawi people but not personal attacks and Malawi people will decide,” said Mutharika.
He said marriage does not form a benchmark for one to become President.
“Are you saying someone with four wives would be a better leader than one without a wife,” said Mutharika in apparent hit back to Mussa who is polygamous.
Recently when he was interviewed on Zodiak radio, Mussa chickened out when he was asked to mention his wife.
“Kamuzu Banda was unmarried and president for 30 years,” recalled Mutharika whose wife died and has grown children who are based in United States.
He added: “I think these people have run out of ideas, options and policies because of the kind of impact I’m making when I travel across the country, when I connect with people.”
Mutharika said he will not engage in politics of castigation.
“I don’t have time for that. As I said before, I will not engage in any kind of personal attacks just to be elected,” said Mutharika
On the ‘Mtchona’ jibe, Mutharika said: “That’s his judgement. I was born here; I went to secondary school in this country. I don’t think Mr. Mussa is more clever than people who vote for me.”
Asked why he is confident to win back government next year, Mutharika said: “We have sound policies. When we present our pan to Malawian people they will find our plans appealing. That’s why am confident.”
On his convention speech that if elected he will open the Malawi University of Science and Technology at Ndata Farm in Thyolo and then use a helicopter the next day to open Nsaje port, Mutharika said he mentioned helicopter as a joke “ I knew people would laugh, I was just joking.”
On whether he would accept defeat in next year’s elections, Mutharika said he was poised to win and that defeat was not on his mind “let us cross the bridge first and come to ask me that question on May 20, 2014.”
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