Mutharika falls sick: JB, Muluzi agreed to miss inauguration due to Covid-19 threat
Immediate past president Peter Mutharika did not attend President Lazarus Chakwera’s inauguration ceremony to hand over the sword because he was feeling poorly, a source in the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has said.
Mutharika, 80, who is at his retirement home in Mangochi along the southern shoreline of Lake Malawi, did not travel to Kamuzu Barracks parade ground in Lilongwe on Monday where his successor Chakwera received the sword of command to become Commander-in-Chief of Malawi Defence Force, Malawi’s sixth President.
“The former president was feeling unwell hence could not attend the inauguration,” said a DPP official.
Mutharika has not yet appointed a spokesperson as all staff working for him have left since the shift of power.
His failure to handover the sword of powers was not a surprise as Malawians only witnessed once in 2004 an outgoing president handing over power when Bakili Muluzi handed over to Bingu wa Mutharika at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre. The gesture was, however, expected as Muluzi and Bingu belonged to the same United Democratic Front (UDF) party then.
Meanwhile, former president Joyce Banda said she had agreed with Muluzi to stay away from the event because of the threat of Covid-19 as both are of advanced age.
“The only reason I didn’t go was because the President told me that the cancellation was due to Covid-19 and I discussed with former president Muluzi that we should stay away because of our age. Both of us are over 70,” said Banda in quotes reported by The Nation daily newspaper.
But Banda described Chakwera’s inauguration speech as the best she has ever heard, and urged the country to rally behind the vision.
The paper also quoted Muluzi for praising the speech of the new President.
Muluzi, the father of Mutharika’s running mate Atupele, who also refused to accept defeat gracefully, said he was impressed by Chakwera’s call for Malawians to work hard.
He said: “We need to support the President to achieve his desired goals.”
Malawians unanimously agreed on most social media platforms that Chakwera, ushered into power through court-ordered fresh presidential elections on June 23, delivered what can be described as an inspiring and unifying speech.
Commentators say President Chakwera is sending the right signals towards unity and encouraging team work in rebuilding the nation where everyone benefits and accounts to someone.
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Asafenso uyu ngati mudachitila mkulu wake please.
Mutharika don’t attempt to die please. We want you in good health so that you we can collect the money you looted in six years and at the same time you should see how simple it is to run the country and develop it. We want you to see please please don’t die
Why didn’t he send Atupele or even a single senior DPP official to represent him? He is not sick, he is sulking.
Am surprised that suddenly, DPP can now announce Mthalika’s illness as the reason for missing inauguration. When Mthalika was in power, he was never sick, according to DPP, even thought he actually was physically challenged. They always covered up Mthalika’s sickness with lies. Now, I think because, Mthalika does not have courage to face a man and his party he said would never rule the country as long as he (Mthalika ) was still alive, the only good way to is Manufacturing his illness and DPP has now courage to accept the Mthalika can also get sick
Good speech
Now good deeds
First of all refuse to pay 9.6 billion ya mlandu
These People Are ridiculously expensive
Mutharika should be able held accountable for bringing covid to Malawi by bringing people from contaminated country SA in large numbers to effect a failed lockdown. Now that he is sick let him die from the same covid he has brought to the country.
Peter Munthalika akudwala mantha ndi zolakwika zambiri under his leadership.H e import more coronavirus from South Africa when he repatriated malawians without proper quarantine facilities.He ended up sending the people to Kamuzu stadium, where these guys from Mzansi run away.Peter Munthalika never cared about Malawians.He appointed officials to steal for him,he never put Malawians first but precedency and DPP.
Wishful thinking. Everybody will die at some point.It is not good to wish someone dying. That’s not Malawian. Infact, it is not true that he felt unwell as it is declared by so called DPP official.
Some Malawians have already forgotten that ut was Joice Banda who was saying Muntharika akunama za Convid snd Chilima mpaka amapempa anthu kuti they should hug each other to confirm there is no convid. Zotsatila zake akuphetsa a Malawi osalakwa. And nobody is tasking them to apologize. Saa!
We said that APM was not well and after being dethroned he might be suffering from all sorts of illnesses including hypertension. As for Muluzi he could have been booed for what he did between 1999 and 2004. He did not win those elections. He rigged them.
Sure JB ,BM PLEASE TAKE CARE…