UDF trashes Bingu’s mediation claims on leaked letters

Mutharika: It was a reconciliatory letter

United Democratic Front (UDF) Alliance spokesperson Humphrey Mvula has dismissed as hypocritical remarks made by President Bingu wa Mutharika that his letter former president Bakili Muluzi was aimed at starting up a mediation process.

Mutharika made the claims in the northern region at a public meeting after his “strictly confidential” letter to his predecessor and the reply by Muluzi have been leaked to the media and the public that his intention was to kick-start mediation with his rival.

UDF Alliance spokesperson Humphrey Mvula said Mutharika’s assertion would be difficult to believe because, he noted, UDF party has been involved in over 20 mediation efforts intended to resolving the long-standing political impasse.

“During all such previous processes, the President and the Government side have turned back on the mediation process at a point when the whole nation was looking forward to a successful conclusion,” said Mvula.

Mvula said the people of Malawi have not forgotten the collapse at the behest of the President of recent mediation efforts chaired by the Catholic Archbishop His Grace Tarcizius Ziyaye and comprising Bishop Bvumbwe, Rev. Dr. Chingota, Rev. Lazarus Chakwera and Sheikh Yusuf Kanyamula as members of the mediation committee.

The UDF Alliance spokesman said the opposition block is fully aware that individuals embroiled in a political impasse regard each other with extreme suspicion and antagonism.

He said therefore the starting point of any meaningful mediation would be the de-escalation of tension and building of mutual trust such as writing of friendly and cordial letters rather than accusative and threatening correspondence like the Mutharika claimed was meant to offer an olive branch.

“The UDF Alliance therefore finds it incorrect and hypocritical to suggest that the letter was meant to start-up a reconciliation process between the President and his predecessor particularly when the President has declared as ‘fact’ that he has powers to order police to arrest his predecessor,” said Mvula.

Billy Banda, executive director of Malawi Watch speaking on Day Break Malawi programme of Capital FM Radio also noted that President Mutharika’s letter lacked decorum. 

“The two leaders have not done fairness to our society. In the first place I think the letter from President to the former president has a lot to be desired and the tone itself has quite a number of issues that the society could not really like,” said Banda who called for “reconciliation” amongst the two leaders.

In the letter, the President accuses his predecessor of spreading many “lies” among other things that Mutharika is suffering from prostate cancer and in turn writes that he knows Muluzi is a sick man.

The former president pointed out in his reply that he has since being cured of disc problems which "came about because of the grueling campaign of 2004 that I had undertaken on Your Excellency’s behalf".

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Chikumbutso Mtumodzi has threatened Mvula that police will arrest him on suspicion that he may have leaked the letters which first were reported by Weekend Nation newspaper and now posted on Nyasa Times.

Reports from newsrooms in different media houses indicate as well that Mtumodzi has been scaring reporters against publicizing the letters.