Malawi ruler accuses predecessor of criminal libel, sedition

Mutharika: Irked by his drunkness story

Malawi President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika has accused his predecessor Dr Bakili Muluzi of criminal libel and sedition charges for what the President say bad media reports from private press.

The President in a letter to his predecessor makes threats of arrest on the two charges.

In the letter, Mutharika blamed Muluzi for the story about ghost haunting him at the opulent New State House which were covered by international media BBC and Reuters.

But Muluzi said in reply that it “most unfortunate and illogical” that the alleged ‘ghosts’ story by journalists Raphael Tenthani and Mabvuto Banda could also be attributed to him  when it is on record that the story had Reverend Malani Mtonga,  the President’s Special Assistant on Religious Affairs, as the source.

“How does it become a Muluzi fabrication and where does Muluzi fit in this equation?” wondered Muluzi. 

 “Your Excellency, the two journalists are employed by international news organizations and have also written very positive stories about Your Excellency and very negative stories about myself,” reads Muluzi’s letter.

    The Head of State also accused Muluzi of funding Nyasanet discussion forum on the internet and Nyasa Times online newspaper which are platforms of freedom of expression.

   But Muluzi rebutted the allegations and described them as “inaccurate and false.”

President Mutharika further alleges that Muluzi uses UDF-alliance spokesman Humphrey Mvula for "spreading lies" an accusation the former president denied.

 “Whilst I cannot answer for Mr. Humphrey Mvula about his alleged involvement, I, however, have my doubts and do not subscribe to the philosophy that he is the Nyasanet/Nyasa Times mastermind.  

 “ Your Excellency, such allegations against individuals demand that hard evidence should be available, otherwise you may be targeting wrong people for victimization as you hunt around for real enemies,” reads Muluzi is letter.

Mutharika also blamed Muluzi for a report about the President’s drunkenness which appeared in The Dispatch newspaper which Muluzi said has no bearing on him.  

  “Your Excellency, you would do me great favour if you sued The Dispatch newspaper instead of attributing it to me or persons believed to be closely connected to me. I cannot bear witness as to whether you take or you do not take alcohol because that is a very personal matter,” said Muluzi.

The President she said in his letter that he has all the options to arrest Muluzi and any of the imaginary perpetrators of “these diabolic lies.”

Muluzi said he was extremely surprised that threats of arrest are being championed by the Head of State saying the power of arrest lies with the police who are expected to be apolitical whilst serving the government of the day and the power of adjudication is vested in the judiciary.  

“Your Excellency, as the first democratically-elected President, it worries me to realize that after 14 years of multiparty democracy coupled with the existence of a considerably good Republican Constitution, we still read and hear of the Head of State ordering arrests of political competitors! Your Excellency, I would advise you to stay clear of a leadership that believes in the subjugation of its citizens. 

 “You may wish to know that our democratic agenda has all along been driven by repudiation of the highly noxious phenomenon of the cult of personality so that never again shall this country have one anointed personality sitting above the Republican Constitution, passing decrees and command arrests of citizens,” writes Muluzi.         

 The former president who has since gone to United Kingdom and left Malawi through Chileka International Airport on Sunday assured Mutharika that there is no iota of truth in the allegations leveled against him.

He even challenged the President to provide material objective evidence to substantiate any of the allegations.