Callista says Mutharika OK but surrounded by beasts of prey: ‘Malawi beware of thieves masquerading as philanthropists’

The loose-cannon of the moment former first lady Callitsa Mutharika has said she has no problem with President Peter Mutharika, who is her in-law,  but said he is being surrounded by Zilombo [beasts of prey]  who are taining the image of his administration, hence calling for a correction of a state that is careering off the cliff.

Callista, the widow of Democratic Progressive Party  (DPP)  founding president Bingu wa Mutharika,  has been granting interview to one radio after another since her  open support for Vice-President Saulos Chilima to become  presidential candidate for the 2019 elections, in a WhatsApp comment on former legislators’ forum.

Beasts of prey

After telling Capital Radio that she believes Chilima has what it takes to help  achieve “a better Malawi”, Callista also granted another lengthy interview on privately-owned Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) in which she retaliated that Chilima  “has the capacity, is visionary and youthful” to lead Malawi

Asked why she is not supporting her in-law President Peter Mutharika,  Callista said the Malawi leader has been surrounded by beasts of prey who are messing up his administration.

“They [beasts of prey ] are everywhere, at State House, in the DPP, everywhere. That’s what has made him change. This man was never like this – he was a good man,” said the former first lady.

Gratuitous insult

A Zodiak journalist asked Callista that in the grapevine the First Lady Gertrude Mutharika and Ben Phiri,  are some potential names  mentioned  to take over the DPP mantle but she dismissed the two , saying that would be a gratuitous insult to Malawians to have them as leaders.

“Umenewo ungakhale nyozo (That would be an insult). I have never heard about that, but, if true, that would be a gratuitous insult. Malawians are not stupid. What is your personal take on that? Do you think the people you are mentioning can rule a country? I mean, can they govern? Can the they steer the ship in the right direction? Can the poor be uplifted from the doldrums of poverty? Some people think it is easy to take advantage of the low literacy rate in our rural areas, so they just wake up and say ‘I can be president.’ It’s not that easy,” said the former first lady.

“Let me make a plea to the people in our rural areas: when you hear so-and-so plans to contest as president, ask carefully: what kind of education has he or she had? What are his or her plans? Aren’t these the very same thieves plundering government entities? They need to ask themselves those questions,” she said bluntly.

The journalist pressed Callista further to explain what wrong have First Lady Getrude Mutharika and Ben Phiri done for them not to be eligible to run for president.

In her response, Callista said  she had no intention to speak further on specific individuals, but  said “just do your research and look carefully into their personal stories. I will not say anything more than that. Find out what people out there say about those two individuals.”

Thieves masquerading as philanthropists

During the interview, Callista  pointed out that Malawians are engulfed by too much fear.

“ Why is that so? God protects us. Let us learn to speak the truth, to stand for what is right. In addition, let us not deceive the masses in rural areas, to whom we go masquerading as philanthropists, yet these so-called philanthropists are thieves, stealing from your government, stealing from public entities . . . my plea to those stealing is please, stop that. People are suffering in rural areas. You are stealing money that could have assisted the poor.”

The widow of the former president Bingu wa Mutharika also took a dig at DPP secretary general (SG) Greselder Jeffrey who trashed her views that Chilima should  become the ruling party’s presidential candidate in 2019.

Callista said when her late husband was creating  DPP, she was a Member of Parliament of  a United Democratic Front (UDF) and part of the block that moved at once to be part of the founding of the DPP.

“Between me and the  person who is saying all those things, who could have a more solid say on DPP matters? And she, the one doing the talking, what’s her past? Isn’t her name associated with the theft of public funds? Wasn’t she associated with allegations of the theft of K187 million? Isn’t she the type that’s hell bent on corrupting the mind of our leader? It’s time Malawians began asking themselves tough questions: who is this person saying all these things? What is her past? Isn’t past prologue? Isn’t she in this to simply enrich herself and destroy the economy of our nation? Malawians need to be asking themselves such questions. Out there, lots of people would like to progress. As a nation, we need to help those who seek progress. We must not waste our energies on thieves like these. People are tired of poverty,” she said in her tough talk.

The interview with Zodiak was in vernacular Chichewa, the transcript in English is courtesy of  Stanley Onjezani Kenani, a Malawian writer  and   social-economic commentator.

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