Joyce Banda says ex-Malawi presidents underutilised: ‘I never lost in 2014, it was fraudulent elections’
Malawi’s first female president and the second in Africa, Joyce Banda, has confessed that she feels former presidents in the country are “being underutilised” but was quick to add that this is as a result of various political misunderstandings.
Malawi currently has, as of now, three retired presidents in the names of Bakili Muluzi, Peter Mutharika and Banda who ascended to the presidency following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika in 2012.
Speaking in an interview with Times Television exclusive on Saturday, monitored by Nyasa Times, Banda said there “there is more former presidents can do.”
She told host Wonderful Msiska: “Former presidents are underutilised but the manner in which we are supposed to be used depends on the discretion of the sitting president.
“I have examples of how retired presidents are well used in such countries and neighbouring Tanzania and Ghana. In Ghana, for example, the sitting president actually invites former presidents for discussions of national issues.”
But Banda said she was busy with what she was doing and that she was satisfied with what she had delivered during her two years as President of Malawi.
“I am very busy. I am very busy with the work I am doing at the Joyce Banda Foundation,” she pointed out.
“ The fact that that I am able to help out on making sure people have safe water and ensuring that people with HIV/AIDS are living positively gives me a lot of satisfaction. Actually, right now I am busy making face masks that are being freely distributed across the country,” she said.
Banda, however, gave an emotional response when asked how she felt losing the 2014 presidential election.
“I did not lose that election. And this issue we must never discuss it again. You saw the tippex in the just nullified election, you think there was no tippex in 2014?”
Future for Peoples Party, Tonse Alliance
The 70-year old said she would remain a member of the People’s Party (PP) to the end, but was also quick to say that she wanted the party to be left in good hands.
“I am getting old and I have done my part both as Head of State and PP leader. But what I want is that a perfect succession plan be done so that someone else takes the party to greater heights,” she said.
On the the performance of the Tonse government, Banda said she was so far satisfied with its performance.
“The combination of Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima is great and splendid. One is meek and humble who wants to work with everyone for the best of this country while the other one is a doer working on the ground,” said Banda.
But she mentioned that the Chakwera-Chilima government could only be hampered by those that are in the alliance.
“My worry is us who surround the two. Otherwise they cannot fail,” she said.
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Joyce Banda find something to do instead of complaining that you are being left out by current leaders. When you were president, did you utilise Muluzi? No. So why are you thinking you should be considered instead of enjoying your life. Its jot like football where in future a player may want to become a coach, but fir a former president to start complaining you are embarrassing us. STOP IT.
Mama please don’t embarrass yourself. You are former President okay agreed but you are a non entity now. What remains is for you to be investigated for your corrupt dealings like with Paramount and spend the rest of your life at Zomba Central Prison. You are crooked. Poor Justice Banda he trails along behind you like he is sleep walking.
But you weren’t anywhere near a winner madam. A least Chakwera can say he never lost.
Kkkkkkkkk tangovomerezani kuti 2014 mnalephera
Mzingoti thank you to 50+1
DPP yikanampondaso Chakwera ndi chilima.
How do you utilise a former president who runs outside the country in hiding after losing power?
WOKIUBA UYU.AKUTI AKUPANGA MA MASK FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION?I THOUGHT SHE SAID THERE IS NO COVID-19.
Where is the Jet Bingu bought? you obese, cashgate dunderhead of a woman.
true JB, you did not lose but like all previous elections 2014 was also a fraudulent election. APM is not worthy to be called former president because he was a fraud
Mutukwanitsa a cha mbuyanu zazii..go and mop the lake with your corrupt Tumbuka judges
Uchila chule iwe.
Namalila, a opposition khalani chete
The problem with JB is that from 2012 after the demise of Bingu, she never wanted to work with MCP. She had an opportunity to change the electoral laws and how to count votes. Working with MCP did not need to give them Ministeral positions. MCP would have given her numbers change some of the bad things brought by Bakili Muluzi and APM. She chose to work with enemies who crucified her in 2014. All of them including Brown Mpinganjira ran away from her. JB made a serious political miscalculation. Anyway JB, MCP, UTM, FP, etc never gave up and things have now changed. 61% of Malawians rejected dpp. We are free at last from the killing jaws of dpp.
Of the three retired presidents the two male presidents are useless and crooks. BM had no agenda for Malawi apart from stealing. Running a country needs serious people. How serious was Muluzi when he had a cabinet of 48 ministers including Dumbo Lemani?
Kape iwe udziwa chani
Hahaha! Who in their right minds can invite this thieving woman to discuss matters of national importance?
At least Joyce was 3 times better than the snoring cocoon APM
Is there anything sensible that one can really learn from cashgate queen Joice Banda? Kodi bakha ameneyu amadziyesa ndani? Mrs ” Azungu andiuza kutii….” just go to hell and rot with your empty head. Or else tell us where money for the presidential jet went.
Amayi awanso ufiti umawavuta bwanji? Who really deceives her? She needs serious exorcizing. I know Tonse Alliance were desperate for votes to remove DPP and now that they succeeded, it’s best to send this female Bakili packing and make sure we never again hear about her in Malawi’s political circles
What exactly is her area of expertise? selling State jets and keeping the money or travelling to every country under the sun on State resources and. Calling herself an intellectual on a honorary doctorate?
Mai Banda was an example openly poor leader who we would not want near any developmental ideas of Malawi. she’s destruction and took Malawians as apes
Koma aja ayi.. Chonde because they destroyed our beautiful country economically after getting rid of human rights issues which was a borne of contection then.. Let them rest in peace
She is a parrot. Why crying over the 2014 flop in the presidential elections? She has elephantine grudges. On PP succession plan she is not reading the normal script it is a family party or a family vehicle that must belong to her son Kachale. The PP-UTM alliance talks crumbled why? The UTM flatly rejected her insistence on her son being crowned the running mate in the Alliance the lady has a sweet tongue we heard her voice on the BBC heaping all praise on SK Chilima. We all love this fickle minded mother
Stupid joice. You say you won? Weve had 2 worst leaders, you and the snoring uncle peter
What is this woman on about? For starters, she was not voted in power and she could not control anything. She spent half of her presidency visiting every country under the sun.
After losing to DPP, instead of staying in Malawi, where did she go? She went AWOL, getting useless awards from useless organisation. You destroyed our country.
‘Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you King.’ Bob Dylan, ‘Sweetheart like you’
Dekhani Mama. You cannot go back to undo that.. Now your focus should be ensuring it doesn’t happen again and 1 way of doing that is if you had not forced your son on us as a minister and allowed for qualified people (women) and not related to you to fill in the position.