At a news conference on Saturday at his retirement home in Mangochi, Mutharika said there’s need to end a culture of prosecuting former presidents.
Mutharika, ousted from power through last year’s fresh presidential election, said for instance, he did not prosecute Joyce Banda when he was voted into power because he wanted the belief of attacks previous leaders to end.
He said now Malawi has to do as what is being done in nations like Zimbabwe and Tanzania where former leaders are accorded peace after their regimes end.
Mutharika was commenting on a case in which he along with former Secretary to Government Lloyd Muhara were ordered to pay a sum of K69 million for forcing Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda to go on retirement.
The former president has claimed government is persecuting him and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members, a development he said is a plot by the Tonse Alliance administration to kill the opposition.
“The MCP (Malawi Congress Party) government is persecuting me through freezing my bank accounts so that I should not fund the DPP. The MCP government wants to take the country back to the one party-state system,” said Mutharika.
Mutharika faulted the decision by some entities that sued him along with former Chief Secretary to the Government, Lloyd Muhara, for their decision to force Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda and Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal judge Edward Twea to proceed on forced leave pending retirement.
However, Mutharika who is a retired law professor, citing a section from the Republican Constitution, said it is unfair to be held responsible for decisions he made while in office as a President.
“When you are President, you make many decisions. There are times when one can do a decision out of bad judgement,” he said, adding the Constitution clearly states a President would not be held criminally liable for decisions made while serving in that office.
But Minister of Information Gospel Kazako, who is official government spokesperson, said Mutharika was not justified to claim persecution, saying “action to law doesn’t segregate and certainly it won’t segregate the DPP followers or, indeed, the Tonse Alliance followers or any other Malawian.”
In his address, Mutharika said government lacks policy direction, citing that prices of commodities are increasing and people are becoming poorer by the day.
The former president has also commented on government’s decision to rescind the appointments of Jean Mathanga and Linda Kunje as commissioners for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).
Mutharika said if the commissioners are “fired” on the grounds of incompetence, then the MEC that oversaw the June 2020 fresh presidential election was “irregularly” constituted; hence, there was no winner in the election.
He further accused government of persecuting people politically and economically.
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It’s now confirmed. He uses his own money, including K145m from Sameer Karim, to run DPP and yet we were all along led to believe DPP is self financing. No wonder party members adore him. One thing he seems not to appreciate and understand is that we have an alliance government and this demonising of MCP should stop. It’s interesting. When reminded that he swore MCP would never rule Malawi, he changes tune by saying it’s not MCP in control but an Alliance. When things go awry, he is all out reminding everyone about MCP past deeds. The man is… Read more »
Thats the very reasons why this fellow was booted out, I strongly thing he lacks judgement and seems to be always away from reality. Is he really honest with himself to say the judgement to ask the chief justice to retire was a misjudgement or his evil part borne out of malice? Two lawyers himself and Mhara both of you making this “error” No. he had all the ego perpetuate the worst excecutive arrogance. Welcome to the world of reality here you will gnash your teeth (that is if you still have some) with nobody to listen to your waflle
No one is killing opposition. Opposition patties especially DPP will kill themselves. Bakili tried to kill MCP but instead it’s his “udiefu” which he killed. Mutharika is also killing the party which his brother left him.Asanamizire a president athu.
akhale chete awa. he was booted. stay quite old dude
Angakumvere ndani iwe. Usadzinyozetse. Tanzania you talk about have never changed parties. In Israel the sitting PM is answering corruption charges. In South Africa Jacob Zuma is answering corruption charges. Kamuzu was arrested and tried. Fortunately he was acquitted. Bingu arrested Bakili Muluzi for corruption. It was you and Joyce Banda who shielded him. You made a mistake by not making an inquiry about the whereabouts of the presidential jet. Ingokhalani pheee basi.
This useless gog petulo should not waste our time.
Lock Mutharika up, lock him up. This shameless thief stole billions by awarding government contracts corruptly. By the way which contractor built his so called palace, and how was this contractor paid, was it by corruptly awarding government contracts. It’s too much lock the old thief up. If the contractor who constructed his palace is investigated we will know that the the palace was constructed in exchange for government contracts. Lock up the shameless old man – the so called Professor, who is in reality Professor Mutharika of Bribery and Corruption. Lock him up as well as lock his wife… Read more »
A learned professor for that matter, ha! are we people from Africa acquiring same education as the rest of the world? We have many useless so called educated fools on the continent
Nkhalamba is the biggest of them all.
This manner disappoints everytime he opens his toothless mouth. Was he really a renowned law professor?
Tambala wakuda uyu musataye naye nthawi kwake ndi kuba ,kupha,ndi kuononga