Muluzi faults Mutharika critics over Zambia trip: ‘Other countries also sent ex-leaders’

Former president Bakili Muluzi  has  dismissed critics who accused President Peter Mutharika for picking the former leader to represent him at Zambia’s 50th Independence Anniversary Celebrations in Lusaka.

Critics have been accusing Mutharika of delegating a retired president instead of sending a sitting vice president, with others claiming, there could be bad relationship between the President and his vice.

But Muluzi who returned for Lusaka, said such assertions were utterly wrong.

“That is not a fair assertion to make. There were former presidents from other nations such as  from South Africa  former president Thabo Mbeki represented incumbent Jacob Zuma,  several other countries were represented by other government officials other than presidents and vice president,  does that mean their presidents are fighting with the vice presidents in those countries as well,” wondered Muluzi.

“We need as a nation to move away from confrontation and focus on nation building,” he said.

He said President Mutharika apart from delegating him, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr George Chaponda also joined Muluzi to the Zambian golden jubilee.

Acting Zambian President Edgar Lungu officiated the 50th anniversary of Zambia’s independence  on Friday at Heroes Stadium in Lusaka on behalf of President Michael Sata, who left the country  for a medical check-up.

Muluzi, who met  acting Zambia president Lungu,  has also commended Mutharika for demonstrating a spirit of reaching out to the other sectors of society on political, governance and economic issues of our country.

The former president also said by inviting presidential candidates in the May 20 Tripartite Elections for a round-table discussion recently, Mutharika has shown that he is ready to work with everybody for the good of the country.

He urged the President to also consider including members of Parliament (MPs) from other political parties in his delegations outside the country “whenever resources are available” so that they can get exposure.

Muluzi, who was recently appointed Malawi’s Special Commonwealth envoy to Swaziland, met President Mutharika at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre where the former head of state briefed the incumbent on the progress of mediation talks on the democratic process taking place in Swaziland.

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