Malawi govt accused of ‘sinister motives’ against Joyce Banda
The Office of the former President, Joyce Banda, has accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government of harbouring ‘sinister motives’ against the former Head of State for their own political expediency.
Government had ordered Banda’s state security personnell to surrender some of the guns and ammunitions to police and that they are planning to “withdraw her motorcade” allegedly because the former President is currently outside the country.
JB’s office said government has not entirely disarmed Banda’s security detail.
“We would not like to go into details on this one considering that security matters are extremely sensitive, especially when they concern a former Head of State,” reads a statement issued by the office and made available to Nyasa Times on Friday, April 24, 2015.
The statement also says it is a “blue lie” to suggest that government is contemplating withdrawing the former President’s motorcade “because that motorcade has never existed in the first place”.
“This motorcade talk is a figment of imagination,” said the statement and accused government spokesman Kondwani Nankhumwa of being “deceptive” on issues concerning Banda.
The Office of the former President reiterates that the DPP government has “inexplicably been dilly-dallying” to provide Banda’s entitlements as a retired Head of State as provided for in the Constitution of the Republic Malawi.
She has not been provided with any car; she has not been receiving her salary since she left office; and she has not been provided with proper accommodation befitting a retired President, says the office.
“It seems the Minister of Information, Kondwani Nankhumwa’s obsession with former President, Joyce Banda, will not abate any time soon. Remember the State House CCTV footage saga; remember the twisted tongue about the obligation by former Presidents to take leave of current presidents before making foreign trips? This time he says government has disarmed and withdrawn security detail of former President, Joyce Banda until she comes back from her trip abroad. This is petty but dangerous politics, to say the least,” reads the statement.
The office says, however, that it is not surprising that the DPP government is antagonizing the former President “as it is not the happening for first time.”
“Malawians remember very well that when Her Excellency Joyce Banda was Vice President, the DPP government, under the late President Bingu wa Mutharika, withdrew part of her security detail. The Guard Commander at her official Mudi Residence was transferred to Makanjira.
A few days after that transfer, in November 2010, the Vice President’s official vehicle, a Mercedes Benz, registration number MG 2, was involved in a mysterious road accident at Kanengo. Luckily, she survived because she had used a different vehicle.
Police, that time, flip-floppeed in their investigations into the cause of the accident.
“We have no choice but to suspect that all these acts and pronouncements by the DPP government today may be leading to some attempt on the former President’s life for unclear reasons. These latest pronouncements by Nankhumwa are even more suspicious and scary having comeafter People’s Party (PP) spokesperson, Ken Msonda, disclosed that the former President will be returning home soon,” concludes the statement.
Nankhumwa could not immediately comment on the statement.
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