Details of Mutharika, Muluzi meeting remain scanty: Some protestors target Malawi ex-leader personally, ‘pay back K1.7 bn’

July 26, 2019 Nyasa Times Reporter 36 Comments

State House has confirmed former president Bakili Muluzi on Thursday met President Peter Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace but could not divulge details of the discussions which centred on ending further election-related clashes two days after Muluzi’s mediation effort with Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) leadership.

President Peter Mutharika had private discussion with former president Bakili Muluzi

Presidential press secretary Mgeme Kalilani said President Mutharika and Muluzi, who was Malawi’s president from 1994 to 2004,  met for about two hours.

Kalilani described the meeting of the two leaders as “private discussions.”

He said: “It was just the two of them. No one else was present.”

According to Kalilani, the two leaders also met three weeks ago at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre.

The meeting came against the backdrop of Muluzi urging protesters calling for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah  to resign over alleged fraud since President Mutharika’s May re-election to halt months of demonstrations so he could mediate with government authorities over the contested presidential election.

He invited the HRDC leadership to his private retirement home in Blantyre to discuss the issue.

But HRDC maintained their call for twice-a-week street action to force Ansah, a judge at the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, to resign as MEC chair.

The protesters accuse Ansah of fraud in declaring Mutharika the winner of the May election with 38 percent of the vote.

During the Thursday fresh round of demonstrations, some protestors appeared to target Muluzi personally as they hosted placards demanding to pay back the K1.7 billion – the money the State accuse him of diverting into personal bank account  during his term of office – but he denies any wrong doing as money was given to his name by donors of  the party he led UDF for campaign of his successor late Bingu wa Mutharika.

One of the anti-Muluzi banners read: “Bakili Muluzi utibwenzere K1.7 billion yathu. Usakhale ngati wanzeru lero! [ Pay back K1.7 billion. Don’t pose the wiser today].”

Placard targetting at Muluzi personally

But Muluzi said he fears the violence during the protests is moving the country in a dangerous direction.

“We must also accept that these demonstrations have caused a lot of economic hardships, you know that,” he said. “The shops get closed, the bank’s not open, there are so many things.”

More public and private buildings and property were  destroyed in  cities of Mzuzu and Lilongwe following the frwsh  protests that continued Thursday in the country’s four cities and other parts.

In Lilongwe, the protesters broke and torched part of government office complex for the Ministry of Information Communications and Technology and they also stoned and broke the offices of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) head office.

The protesters, who were determined to present their petition to President Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace, 800m away from the main entrance to Kamuzu Palace where Mutharika’s adviser on NGOs, Mavuto Bamusi, received the protesters’ petition on behalf of Mutharika.

Bamusi assured the protesters that Mutharika would respond to the petition “soon.”

Political analyst Vincent Kondowe says with continued protests and no dialogue, Malawi will head toward anarchy. He said President Mutharika,  runners-up Lazarus Chakwera, and Saylos Chilima need to reach a compromise.

Chakwera and Saulos Chilima are challenging the election results in court, alleging ballot-stuffing and the use of Tipp-Ex correction fluid to change votes.

The MEC maintains the election was free and fair.

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36 replies on “Details of Mutharika, Muluzi meeting remain scanty: Some protestors target Malawi ex-leader personally, ‘pay back K1.7 bn’”

  2. Muluzi asaname kuti wangoganiza zolowelerapo apa coz we all know that he has been sent by Mutharika as he himself, is afraid he cannot quench the fire. That is why he is always hiding at Chikoko Bay & Sanjika.

  3. DZIKO LA MALAWI NDILOPANGITSA CHISONI KWAMBIRI. KUNGOGWIRANA NDI MBAVA ZOKHA OKHA.
    MULUZI MBAVA YENI YENI WA POYONIYA, BINGU MBAVA,JOYCE MBAVA , NANJI PITALA MAYO!
    TOO TINY COUNTRY DEPENDING ON DONORS FULL OF THIEVES LEADERSHIP. PLEASE NOTE THAT GOD IS WATCHING NDIPO AMALANGA MUKHAULA NONSE MWATCHULIDWAPA YOU HAVE TO SUFFER TOO,ZIWANTHU ZA KUMMWERA ZOKHA ZOKHA MBAVA.

  4. Mr Muluzi should not deceive Malawians with demonstrations issue.He too has a case to answer at the Court and Malawians know about it and by sidling to Peter is one way to hide his deeds so that Peter should continue shielding him. You see Malawians all what Bakili is doing is just cheating Malawians that he is a mediator and the meeting he invited HRDC was 10000 % in BAD FAITH. Let him pay back K1.7 b plus compound Interest Or your BCA hill house be reposed by Government and turn it into o a lodge. TATOPA NANU INU ANTHU AKUBA TSOPANO. PITA UKACHITE MEDIATION KONKO KUNJA KUMENE UMANAMIZA ANTHUKO. kuoneka ngati munthu wanzeru ndi NDALAMA ZA KUBA.

  6. “Perception is reality”: there is such strong perception in the country, rightly or wrongly, that Jane Ansah did not preside over credible elections. It boggles the mind that Ansah herself, or the appointing authority think that she can still continue to hold her post as MEC chairperson. Ansah cannot be trusted to even oversee elections of a class monitor!

  7. MULUZI CAN NEVER AND WILL NEVER COME IN THE OPEN CONSIDERING THAT HE HAS A CASE IN COURT WHICH HAS BEEN POLITICALLY STALLED. SO DO NOT EXPECT ANY BAD MOUTHING FROM MULUZI TO DPP.

    MULUZI IS ONLY SAFEGUARDING HIS INTERESTS HERE. SO ITS A WASTE OF TIME TO TRUST HIM AS AN INITIATOR OF THE SO CALLED DIALOGUE FOR PEACE.

    MALAWIANS WATCH THE NEWS EVEN IN HONG KONG THEY ARE PROTESTING RIGHT WHAT MATTERS IN OUR CASE IS THAT WE MUST REMOVE INJUSTICE THROUGH OUR OWN SACRIFICES AS IT IS WE CAN NOT TRUST ANY ONE .

    MALAWI ECONOMY IS ALREADY IN SHAMBLE DUE TO HIGH LEVELS OF CORRUPTION. THESE CROOKS POLITICIANS SHOULD HIDE BEHIND DEMONSTRATION TO TALK ABOUT A SHRINKING ECONOMY

    FUCK THEM ALL…ACHOKEEEEEEEE BASI

  8. Dziko limaonongedwa ndi atsogoleri amene amaba ndalamawa ndiye amalawi nawo ndi nthawi yoti awononge nawonso.Bakili anaba, naye Bingu anaba mwatsoka nkukadyera kuli chete,Joice Banda ndi uja anayaluka nazo uja, Peter mutharika naye ndi uyu akuba komanso kupha anthu achi-alobino koma mwa onsewa palibe amene anamangidwapo konse ndiye sizodabwitsa kuti nawonso amalawi akuononga.TIZINGOONONGA KKKKKKK!!.. TIMALIZE DZIKOLI KENAKO ALIYENSE ADZIWE KOLOWERA TIONE AMENE MUZIMULAMULIRA AGALU INU..

  9. I think Jane is being forced to stay in that chair. I’m beginning to doubt this is her decision. Galu wamkulu ndi uyu Petulo

  10. The meeting between Muluzi and HRDC was live on other channels and was on public, every one heard and saw them, why this one if it all stand for the public is called private meeting? Was it for Malawians Mr Muluzi? I think Mr Muluzi haso pocketed money here to let it be as this dude Mutharika want.
    This is sad for ex Leader.

  11. The best now is for Pitala to come in the open regarding this issue rather than pleasing his dpp team,otherwise the nation is going to face the most worse times in its history.

  15. Komatu MCP and UTM muzachita manyazi Peter atawinanso ndi landslide, Mark my words. Musayese ali yekhatu.

    1. Peter can’t win, he is the most useless leader on the African continent. Without rigging, he can’t win, period

    2. You and Peter need to check the definition of “landslide” and perhaps extra word for you “Correctional Fluid” only if you know those you can argue with intellectually.

    3. Then where are his followers? Sitikuaona ife. Malawi isn’t only Blantyre, Mulanje and Thyolo. There are 20 something other districts. Where are they????

    7. Ngati itachitikanso Re-run Peter Muthalika sangawine kutalitali, WHY?

      This Tim around all Opposition will filled one Candidate to compete with DPP, Peter Muthalika.

      Most of senior DPP members will leave DPP and join Opposition, Bcoz mbiri ya DPP and Peter Muthalika ikhala itayipa, pama Campaign a Opposition.

      If Re-run can happen, all Opposition will be alert a d they will make sure all the Old Commissioners are fired and new one will be chosen and the heard of MEC will be chosen by Parliament not President. The Opposition MPs will change the rules of conducting elections in Malawi.

      So there is no way, DPP and Peter Muthalika can Win a Re-run Election,NO WAY.

      MARK MY WORDS

    1. Ngati economy yaonongeka chonchi in 2 months nde ikamatha 6 months bwa? Don’t worry about APM worry for yourself. Peter has a very hefty pension package for his first term as president. Jane Ansah has a good pension package too sangavutike even if economy itafika paZimbabwe which we are fast approaching if these demos are not stopped.
      Tieni tibaotcha Malawi, popanda phulusa pakhale phulusa basi.
      Shangirayi kuZimbabwe anakhala akum’bera masankho, openly bolanso zathuzi, more than 4 times but as a patriotic citizen he accepted the situation and never allowed his country to descend into chaos.

      3. That’s pure foolishness from you. So you think if it is proven that he stole the election later he can’t go to jail and lose all those benefits. That’s the problem of living in a false paradise.

      4. Are you for real? People should accept the results of clearly stolen elections just to avoid chaos? Shouldn’t the person determined to steal elections worry about creating chaos instead? Why do some Malawians always blame the victim rather than the perpetrator? In many years of reading Nyasatimes comments, I have never come across such a stupid comment as this one. And if you think either APM or Mutharika will not be held to account for this gross injustice done to Malawians, then you have the IQ of a cabbage…

      5. Money can be freeze and asset seize if crimes were committed and they can be banned to travel in certain countries plus their immediate family. Foreign Citizenship revoked. Those two have property in foreign land they know whats at stake too they all can feel the pinched too!! From high life to low! Everyone has bills to pay even the super rich!!

      6. Inu a anti-demos khalani chete. If we don’t loot, the ministers and their DPP cronies will loot. Ndiye bola tiotche so that no one should benefit. As for Ansah and APM, they will be too busy answering milandu to enjoy any retirement package. And we will have those foreign bank accounts frozen.

        You’ve given an example of Zimbabwe opposition not protesting. Did that make Zimbabwe any richer? Aren’t they still suffering today the effects of Mugabe’s policies? Don’t you think breaking a few properties, then forcing a change in government would have provided them a chance to reverse those policies and attract foreign investment?

      7. I guess you are talking about Zimbabwe, this is Malawi you idiot! Kagwele uko cadet waganyu iwe.

  17. Peter is encaureging jane to stay in power. The solution here is for jane to go and call for fresh election rathe than Mcp and Utm associating with crook peter.

      1. You’ve misspelt your name “Charie” and misspelt “mburi”, yet you’re calling someone a mbuli? Just eat your blue buns, you nitwit!

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