Atupele says learner president will be ‘calamitous’ for Malawi: Urges vote for Mutharika

Atupele Muluzi, the running mate to President Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the July 2 fresh presidential election, is stepping up the pace of his campaign to boost re-election of the incumbent, urging Malawians  to cast their ballots for Mutharika  with a warning that voting untried and tested leader would be calamitous.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) president, who is son to former president Bakili Muluzi,  was speaking on Monday during his whistle-stop tour from Lilongwe to Blantyre.

He started his whistle-stop tour on Saturday from Zomba  to Monkeybay in the eastern region then moved to Lilongwe.

Speaking during a whistle-stop, Atupele, 41-year-old Minister of Energy said Mutharika has the experience to keep the country stable.

“Let all registered voters turn in large numbers on 2 July and vote for President Professor Arther Peter Mutharika, the symbol of four maize cobs. We should not make that mistake of giving learners the leadership of this country. It wil be calamitous,” said Atupele.

Atupele said the country does not need “opposition coalition of chaos’ apparently referring to Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera and UTM Party president Saulos Chilima who  have partnered in a nine-party Tonse Alliance as presidential candidate and running mate, respectively

He said for Malawi to steady its ship on critical issues of  statecraft —in effect the art of governing competently— Mutharika is the person to give a vote to, promising  that a combination of democrats in the DPP-UDF alliance will bring comparative competence.

Atupele  also commended President Mutharika for his interest to push young people into leadership positions and pass on the button to run the race, saying apart from his appointment as running mate, the Cabinet has youthful ministers and several key positions in government have been given to young people.

He sad President Mutharika does not want younger people to be  squeezed  “asamafinyike” and that he want  Atuple to champion their plight so that they achieve their individual aspirations.

DPP and UDF have formed an electoral alliance to in a bid to garner votes following Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal’s interpretation of majority as 50-percent-plus-one vote in the presidential election.