Muslim Council, NGOs against provoking First Lady with political slurs: Callista, Kaliati deny mentioning Getrude Mutharika

The Muslim Supreme Council and two Non Governmental Organisations, National Elections Systems Trust  (NEST) and Centre for Women in Conflict and Development, have expressed disappointment at the way the country’s First Lady MGertrude Mutharika was negatively portrayed  at last week’s United Transformation Movement’s political rally held at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre.

Unandi (left) and Mvula at the press conference
Kaliati (left) and former first lady  Callista Mutharika: Dismiss the groups
First Lady Getrude Mutharika

The Muslim council leadership and two NGOs held separate news conferences in Blantyre  to speak on the matter.

At a press conference held at Misesa in Limbe on Saturday, August 4, NEST and Centre for Women in Conflict and Development made reference that Calista Mutharika  at UTM rally described Gertrude  Mutharika as “uneducated and not fit to be the first lady of this country.”  during the July 29  rally at Njamba Freedom Park.

“We National Elections Systems Trust, in conjunction with Centre for Women in Conflict and Development, would like to share our disappointments of hate speeches targeting the First Lady of the Republic Madam Gertrude Mutharika,” NEST’s Executive Director Unandi Banda told reporters, joined by CWCD executive director Carol Mvula.

“For those who might have have missed it, the former First Lady Callista Mutharika castigated Her Excellency Gertrude Mutharika during their political rally at Njamba in Blantyre. As a former first lady she was supposed to be the last to be embraced with hate speeches.

“It should be made clear here that Madam Gertrude Mutharika is not a politician and does not have any political platform and thus, she should not be subjected to such ridicule.”

The two NGOs made reference that Madam Gertrude is apolitical and that her efforts are solely for development purposes.

“As you are aware, the country’s First Lady Gertrude Hendrina Mutharika, launched Beatify Malawi Trust (BEAM) on 13 September 2014 and since then she has been busy championing the organisation to fullfill its objectives.

“Madam Mutharika has also been busy with campaign of a Global Poverty Project, an arm of the World Bank to increase global and political voices to achieve commitment and action to end poverty at least by 2030.

“Of late,  we have seen her doing an addition job of preserving the girl child through the launch of ‘My clean School my Pride’ campaign, an initiative that aims at promoting good sanitation practices and create environmental conscious minds among school going children in the country especially for the girl child.

“Malawi, being the party to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), an advisory declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, we should be geared to protect individual freedoms.”

The two NGOs jointly continued to say that as the country is approaching the 2019 polls, they are calling all associates in political circles to safeguard democracy by respecting rights of the women and other people especially people who have no political platforms.

“As gender activists we are calling upon fellow women to desist from defaming other women to avoid being seen as  couriers of pull her down syndrome,” Mvalo said.

And at another press conference on Saturday in Blantyre, the Muslim Council leaders – chairperson Yasin Katungwe and secretary Imran Katona –  claimed that Callista and UTM acting secretary general Patricia Kaliati in their speeches mentioned  about a First Lady who went to school at St. Mary’s Girls Secondary in Zomba and allegedly failed  her Malawi School Ceryificate of Educatuon (MSCE) examinations.

They said thus was a direct reference to the current First Lady who was educated there.

But Kaliati dismissed that she is dragging First Lady into politics, saying she only commented on what the former first lady Callista had said about the information she  got from the school.

“I only commented on her exposure. I din’t know about it [Firs Lady failed MSCE]until [Callista] mentioned,” said Kaliati.

And Callista said she didn’t mention  anybody’s name and wondered how the organisations ahve concluded that it is the current First Lady who failed MSCE.

Former President Bakili Muluzi, at the United Democratic Front (UDF) convention at Comesa Hall in Blantyre, also made reference to UTM’s style of castigating people, saying such hate speeches have no place in Malawi’s modern democracy.

NEST is an NGO registered under Trustees Incorporation Act and is mandated to check what is happening ahead of the 2019 polls.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
68 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
unima trivia
5 years ago

Kaliati ndi Kali nsanje ikupwetekani. Amnzanu asapange perform mokuposani, tulo tonse balala. A unima chimadziwa iwo ndi kupwepweta chuma boma makani and kulongolola too much eg kalista forced Bingu to put her in the civil service pay roll, cashgate yamasten was full of unima graduates achina ajawa alowa UTM wa.

united thieves and madness

Chipani chanji chogwirizana ndi mfundo za wamisala (wandale)!!? kodi ku utmko nonse ndi magraduates?? Enanu mukuthawa ma primaries a DPP koma mwalemba mmadzi.

empty kaliati
5 years ago

Kaliati is an empty tin, iyeyo busy kumanyodola anzake iyeyo Alonsochimodzimodzi. Nkhanitu ndi delivery, ena anpita kKuunima koma anadutsira kujompha. Unima is full of theory practical njeeeeee!!!! Mkuona ma injiniya ake amdikira mapoliticians awapangire maplan kenako azinyodola. Prof getu ndi ntchana, ukhondo okhawo mmizinda ndi kawawa. inu a united thieves and madness muzinena zamzeru nsanje ayi!!!!

is kaliati unima?
5 years ago

Kalista ndi kaliati ndi nsanje. Nanga bwanji iwowo osamamubwezera jeof yo. Kalista amati akaganiza kuti anangokhalapo 2 years zokha ndikumamuona same akukapitirira another 5 years pa u first lady zimamuwawa heavy. Modinanga kaliati ndi boy wake anapita university yake iti? Nanga soldier anapita iti? Inna united thieves and madness ngati mulibe mfundo mungosiya nNealechifukwa chanu palibepo mwamva!!!

Rap C
Rap C
5 years ago

DPP members started this(jeffy wa jeffy)….apa zisayambe kuwawa chifukwa choti akubwezera

amaishosha dala….

Serious
Serious
5 years ago

Kodi ananena Calista ndi za bodza? I thought she said the trueth.

Truth pains
5 years ago

I remember Wa Geffrey at Nkhata bay when President Peter was opening road from nkhata bay to Mzuzu , she said on the podium , there is no one more Educated in Malawi than the president himself so Calista and Kaliati are also just reminding you that there is no any other uneducated first Lady than the present one who failed MSCE.

Do u get the point, Was wa Geffrey right to pin point that president Peter was only educated one in Malawi?

Teacher
Teacher
5 years ago

Dr Chilima must gain control of his supporters if his movement is to avoid becoming just another traditional political party. These women are employing the same tactics that spousal abusers, narcissists, and unscrupulous politicians have used since the Garden of Eden. In psychology, these tactics are usually referred to as ‘gas-lighting’ (after an old movie called ‘Gas-light’, in which a husband uses the tactics to make his wife think she is going crazy). The following are just some of the tactics employed by gas-lighters: 1. They tell blatant lies. 2. They deny they ever said or did things, even though… Read more »

moses
moses
5 years ago

Kaliati and calista you need to slow down. We are tired of this castigating type of politics and i am a UTM supporter xhimene tikufuna ndi mfundo osati mbwelera zimene mukmatiuzazi wat is getrude munthalikas education going to help us, do we vote for a first lady or president if you have personal issues sort them kumbali osati pa podium mwina mukuchita naye nsanje. And you Calista lead by example, you are a former first lady,respect others and you earn their respect too ngati mulibe zolankhula pa msonkhano then jst keep quite we need new faces with new ideas like… Read more »

che nnungu
5 years ago
Reply to  moses

This is how UTM will fall

Nyaphiri
Nyaphiri
5 years ago

Kalista mumafuna kulowa chokolo? Bvomerezani nthawi yanu yinadutsa. Azimai amfiti inu mwatinyasa zedi. Azimai wochititsa manyazi inu

Rap C
Rap C
5 years ago
Reply to  Nyaphiri

mmene secretary general amat calista anapha Bingu nsimayakhulatu….apa nde zayamba kuning’inanot hahahah

Read previous post:
Undule urges Malawi CSOs to shift their advocacy from confrontation to engagement

Undule Mwakasungula, a veteran governance, human rights and social commentator, has advised civil society organisations (CSOs) in the country to help...

Close