Kabwila’s strange jet ride with Mutharika: ‘I am MCP, no scones’

Outspoken Malawi Congress Party  (MCP) spokesperson Dr. Jessie Kabwira has maintained that she will maintain her criticism to the DPP-led administration, despite accepting a controversial “lift” in a charted presidential jet from President Peter Mutharika..

Kabwira has granted interviews to almost all media houses in Malawi, but there are sharp contradictions on how she accepted the offer from the President she has repeatedly called “illegitimate” and why she would accept a “chartered jet” ride which she critised late Bingu wa Mutharika and former President Joyce Banda.

“I went to Zimbabwe on two fronts, being an invitation by the Zanu Pf and to the SADC meeting as Chair of Parliamentary caucus,” Kabwira told Nyasa Times correspondent in Lilongwe.

President Mutharika informed he invited Kabwira to the SADC meeting and for the jet ride.

An analyst has described Kabwiras defence of accepting a jet ride  as weak, as she cannot honestly expect Malawians to believe that it was just “honouring an act of goodwill” when she has lamented the cost of jet and accused President Mutharika of stealing the May 20 vote.

Kabwira in 2011 was among key architects demanding the sale of the jet late President Mutharika had bought and later denounced his successor Joyce Banda of “wasting tax payers money to charter jets.”

Only three months since being elected as a member of parliament, Kabwira could not resist the temptation to take a ride with Mutharika whom on June 5, 2014 she charged as “elected from a jun vote” and “illegitimate leader.”

“After meeting, the President invited me to use the charted jet. I obliged because the money used it the tax payers money not from DPP,” charged Kabwira, who, according to a DPP operative on Facebook, had an
early meeting with President Mutharika in private at his hotel.

Kabwira, interestingly told Matindi Radio earlier that she had been in Zimbabwe for ZANU PF meet and she was scheduled to return whe nPresident Mutharika invited her to SADC, while ZODIAK Radio quotes her praising the use of the jet as “time saving” adding that she was surprised that only Malawi did not have a presidential jet as travelling commercial would have cost a lot of time that would have seen her return on 23 of August.

A Zomba based analyst, said Kabwira should have rejected the offer as a matter of principle especially using  charted jet she has criticised and also for the fact that she has criticised presidential delegations
as unnecessarily big.

“Just on 4th August 2014 she was on radio accusing the President of having unnecessary people, she went to Sadc just as an observer as there was no Women Caucus forum. She should have rejected the meeting
to save Malawians money and worse still rejected the charted jet ride in line with what she has been preaching.

“She told Malawians the DPP is an illegitimate Government, she now accepts their freebies, she
accused Professor Mutharika, Peter Mukhito and others during the academic freedom of baying for her blood, now she dines and wines with them, worse still she said they burned a warehouse now she says are
flying mates, she is not being honest what went behind that hotel doors and during the flight,” observed the analyst.

MCP officials have a record of meeting Presidents they criticise including  after 2009, late Ishmael Chafukira met secretly President Bingu wa Mutharika and during the run up to elections, MCP President Lazarus Chakwera was embroiled in controversy after it emerged that he secretly met President Joyce Banda.

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