Malawi profiles in dishonor: The sickening tale of Mutharika and Joyce Banda trading insults 

If ours was a functional democracy, President Peter Mutharika and his predecessor, Joyce Banda, wouldn’t have been making news today.

President Mutharika: Attacked the dignity of a woman
Joyce Banda: Attacked the dignity of a man.

Banda lost elections in 2014. By that damning fact, she should have accepted, or be forced to accept, that Malawians don’t want her to be part of, or anywhere close to the country’s political leadership. If she were a woman of honour, she could have retired to silence and leave Malawi’s political space alone.

President Mutharika’s legitimacy ended with that February 2 Constitutional Court ruling. The ruling, which was upheld by the Supreme Court, clearly underlined that Mutharika was unduly elected. If Mutharika was a man of honor, he should have stepped aside by now and leave Malawi’s political space alone.

But because ours is a dysfunctional democracy, the consequence is that it gives us dishonorable characters such as Banda and Mutharika whom, even when the public rejects them, they cling on shamelessly.

There is no honour in them, the political grace flew out of them—they are just hollow humans, stuffed of anything; just emptiness almost.

They can steal from the poor without a pinch of remorse. They can lie, cheat, mislead and manipulate. And you get shocked when they go public trading insults against each other?

After losing the elections, and after having her image battered with Cashgate scandal, the least Joyce Banda could have done is to concentrate on rebuilding her legacy. I expected her to be touring across the country giving talks and lecturers about the need to honour and respect the dignity of a woman. Not frontline politics, again.

Even Mutharika. After the court declared him unduly elected, I expected him to leave the stage and retire to some corner where he would concentrate on rethinking how best his name, and that of his fallen brother Bingu, should be remembered, positively, in history. Not frontline politics again.

The reason Banda and Mutharika have not taken this route is because they are humans of dishonor. They had all the time to make life better for Malawians when they had power. Not now. Their continues stay in politics has nothing for you, Malawians; they are in this for selfish ambitions that is why they trade personal insults.

No woman, in her late 70s, would earn a mark of honor when, without remorse, she goes public calling a person a ‘drunkard’ just because of a political disagreement. You are a woman of dishonor, Joyce Banda.

No man, in his early 80s, would wear a badge of honor when, shamelessly, goes on a national television to call a woman ‘prostitute’ just for disagreeing politically. You are a man of dishonor, Peter Mutharika.

These two elderly people, the same people we all expect to look to for guidance, have chosen the path of dishonor and they must be treated so.

Those that follow Banda, even youths, are standing up for her, saying Mutharika has attacked the dignity of a woman. Those that follow Mutharika, even youths, are standing up for him, saying Banda has attacked the dignity of a man.

I think it’s high time we, Malawians, stop standing up for rubbish. Banda and Mutharika have disgraced themselves and they must suffer the whole loaf of pain. They must neither be defended nor celebrated.

In fact, I expect UDF/DPP Alliance to condemn the silly remarks Mutharika made against Joyce Banda. Similarly, I also expect Tonse Alliance to condemn the disparaging remarks Joyce Banda made against Mutharika.

If these two alliances don’t condemn their wayward leaders, then we should all accept that, among the current crop of leaders, none stands for honor. We are on our own, fellow Malawians.

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President Chisokonezo
President Chisokonezo
4 years ago

Ngati azigogo anthuwa akutukwanizana akuyembekeza kuti anafe titani

Zio ine
Zio ine
4 years ago

Undressing to men for favours is in the blood stream of JB..APM has just hit where it pains and women are now standing in her defence. Surprisingly even the Lunatic Ntambo and his fellow HRDC mercenaries have joined the chorus yet the same Ntambo with his Nsundwe gangsters for a good 12 months have been naming Ansah with all manner of names and non of these so called women groups stood in defence of her.

George Victor
4 years ago

Patricia Nkanda don’t sink yourself too low pitani muzikalalikira ku Mothers Union zimene zija nde zimakukhalani osati zazipanizi.Inu ndi mai wa ulemu wake siyani zachpanizi chonde chonde mukufuna mpakama akuitaneni Ambuye A bishop.

Mtamba
Mtamba
4 years ago

I salute you Mr jounolist this is well balanced arrival and good advice to both seriously this 2020 we don’t need this type of politicians who go around kuyalusana ndi kutukwanana

Charles
Charles
4 years ago

The president should have self-control as expected of his position and should not have insulted Joice Banda the way he did, no matter the provocation! He is usually silent on important issues of the nation requiring his input or action but quickly and unreasonably reacted to Joice Banda’s claim that he is a drunk, a claim that is not an insult and has not been disputed by Peter. It may also be correctly or incorrectly thought that at this particular meeting Peter Mutharika was drunk!!!!! Sadly, while Peter was insulting Joice Banda his wife Gertrude sat there listening to the… Read more »

Makungwa
Makungwa
4 years ago

Wapadzala akuulula wapatsidwe anyani osekana michila mbagogo amenewa ngochititsa mamyazi. Kumene amanyengana ku China Ife kunalibeko Kaya chidakwachi chinapeleka cash yochepa kwa huleyi eish zovizedi shame. Hule na chidakwa kukwenyana.akudziwama amakwatana unganene bwanji ndiwamowa or hule musanalawane or kumwera limodzi either ku bar or rest house zitsiru izi zonse zikufunamabe .

KINANASI 1
4 years ago

In Malawi,it seems old age comes with bad mouthing and irrational thinking especially in politics,well articulated article,bravo.These two fellows need just to vacate our political play field for their strategies are outdated.Kutukwanizana has no place in our democracy.Shame to them both

Bisoni
Bisoni
4 years ago

I support neither Joyce Banda nor Pitala but neither of them was wrong. How does mentioning someone’s drinking problems become dishonoring men if that someone surely drinks. How does mentioning someone’s prostitution become dishonoring women if that someone is a prostitute

Nabetha
Nabetha
4 years ago

SHAME ON YOU, HOW CAN YOU CLING TO POWER AT 80YRS…… THIS IS THE TIME TO ENJOY WITH YOUR GRAND CHILDREN !! AND NOT SCREAMING ABUSE AT PEOPLE !

FOOLS GUARDIAN
FOOLS GUARDIAN
4 years ago

amwene lero mwalemba zeniz zenitu. kukhapa osaona nkhope. Kodi Muli pa mpamba???

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