I am competent, honest, clean, untainted with corruption- Atupele Muluzi

Immediate past president of United Democracy Front (UDF) Atupele Muluzi has confirmed to be on the ballot come 2025, underlining that he is the only competent, honest and clean leader, untainted with corruption, Malawi needs now to jump-start the economy and root out corruption.

In an interview with local media on Saturday, Muluzi said that he took a break from politics for a year, adding that in this one-year recess, he has travelled to different parts of the world having conversations with political leaders, business captains and global experts, noting that he is now back more experienced, more knowledgeable and more confident.

“I am an example of a competent and honest leader. I am untainted with corruption. I can stand firm and challenge every Malawian to investigate the time I served in various government ministries. They won’t find anything because I am not corrupt,” he said.

He added that Malawi needs a competent and honest person to lead it through harnessing capabilities of brilliant minds both local and global towards specific immediate and long-term development targets, “and that person is me,” he said.

Muluzi further said that he is currently just a member of UDF, saying he will be presenting himself before the UDF convention.” The party leadership will announce the date for convention where I will contest and if I succeed I will be leading the party in 2025,” said Muluzi.

He has challenged that he will not allow UDF to play second fiddle in 2025 saying may be because of the 50+1 provision the party consider alliances during second round.

Asked what is the number one issue in Malawi currently, Muluzi singled out what he described as the terrible state of the economy.

“We are a country with every potential to jumpstart our economy. However, we don’t have the leadership currently that can harness that potential,” he said.

Interestingly, Muluzi as part of solution of developing Malawi, proposed that Malawi can learn from how leaders in Gulf States harnessed the potential of their countries.

He said that the Gulf States countries found oil and gas, made future projections of these resources and created a Sovereign Wealth Fund which they used to grow their economies.

“Malawi has a variety of natural resources. We need to start a conversation on how, as a nation we can create Sovereign Wealth Fund from our natural resources,” he said.

Corruption, Muluzi said, remains the number 1 evil destroying the country and bemoaned that as a country we are not on the right path in the fight against the vice.

“No week passes without a huge corruption scandal. We have lost local and international confidence. We are a nation that has visibly and evidently failed to deal with corruption, ” said Muluzi.

He added, “We are not decisively dealing with corruption. All key institutions responsible for promotion, safeguarding and policing institutions—such as Parliament, Civil Society, Media, ACB, etc—that makes democracy tick have been strategically weakened. Too much lip service; we are travelling dangerously.”

On leadership philosophy, Muluzi said his leadership focus is centered on instilling confidence in the nation, noting that most Malawians are hopeless, convinced that things won’t change.

“But I am pushing with a message of confidence mostly targeting the youth and women because they are carriers of generations. If women are confident, our nation is safe. We will do it.”’ said Muluzi.