Mutharika prides himself for leaving good legacy: ‘I have contributed positively to Malawi, lost govt not polls ’
Former president and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Peter Mutharika has been granting interview to the local media on what looks like reputation management over his legacy by stating that he has contributed positively to the country other than what is regarded of him.
From his beachside sprawling private retirement home in Mangochi, Mutharika has maintained the same script in interviews with The Nation newspaper, Zodiak TV, MBC , MIJ and Nyasa Times.
Mutharika who dethroned Malawi’s first female president, Joyce Banda, in a hotly contested election on May 20, 2014, the results of which were disputed, said he came to power when the economy was very unstable, amid the Cashgate scandal and when “the country’s development partners had withdrawn budget support because of the looting scandal.”
He, however, went on to say that, Malawi had enjoyed positive economic growth.
“I was the first president in Malawi to run this economy without donor support and we managed. We struggled, but we managed to bring inflation to single digits from around 30 percent, interest rates from 40 percent to around 16 percent in terms of the policy rate, we managed to stabilise the exchange rate. When we came in there was less than one month of import cover, but when we left it was more than four months—over a billion US dollars in both private and official reserves, so I think we did quite well,” he said.
An educator and lawyer with experience in the field of international law, said his administration also recorded success for the introduction of skills training through community colleges, which has created a lot of jobs.
“The programme has enabled young people, immigrants and minorities to try and move into middle class. People are creating their own jobs. I am proud, for example, that Kasama Community College was built by graduates from some of these community technical colleges,” he said.
Mutharika, the younger brother of late President Bingu wa Mutharika, said the third part of his legacy is infrastructure development.
“It is important that we have good infrastructure in this country, especially roads. We have built roads all over the country in all the regions more than any other administration before. For example, Karonga-Songwe Road, Mzuzu Nkhata Bay, Liwonde-Mangochi Road, Thyolo-Makwasa-Thekerani and so many others.
“We have built the Tsangano-Neno Road to open up areas… In the universities, including Polytechnic, University of Malawi (Unina) in Zomba, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must) we built new infrastructure there.”
Mutharika also credits to his legacy that under his rule, Malawi attracted foreign direct investment.
“No country can develop without the infusion of foreign capital. We embarked on an expansive programme to bring in investment. And so, for the first time we had investment conferences, we reformed Malawi Investment and Trade Centre that resulted in one-stop centres,” he said.
Mutharika said his successor President Lazarus Chakwera last Friday opened the Golden Peacock five-star hotel in Blantyre, a project which he initiated.
“ I personally negotiated in China and it has changed the skyline in Blantyre. There is also the Grand Business Park in Lilongwe, I negotiated that. When completed, people will no longer have to go to China to buy goods. It will also create a lot of jobs,” said the DPP leader who is now 80-years-old.
Mutharika continued: “But my legacy is not just about what I did as President. It started in 2009 when I became a member of Parliament and minister. You hear stories even by your own people saying that where ever APM [Mutharika[ went to be a minister it was a disaster. I ask them what disaster was there, they can’t mention. At the Ministry of Justice, I started the National Registration initiative—that was my idea and worked on a Bill to facilitate that and our registration system is one of the best among those taking place anywhere in the world.
“ I also introduced the concept of credit reference bureau. For the first time we now have a credit reference bureau—I introduced that while I was at the Ministry of Justice and it has been a success.
“They say the Ministry of Education was a disaster when I was there just because of a University of Malawi strike. But that strike was not about academic freedom; that strike was about challenging the government. It was about regime change. In fact, I am the one who persuaded the President to reinstate those four lecturers, but they don’t know that. Must [Malawi University of Science and Technology] was created under my leadership at the Ministry of Education and I was heavily involved in its creation. Luanar was created under my leadership. Delinking Bunda from Unima happened when I was at the Ministry of Education. The introduction of the National Council for Higher Education was my idea because I was concerned about university standards so I started the council so that it can accredit universities.
“They say it was a disaster at Foreign Affairs because of the expulsion of the British High Commissioner. I was not even in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when that happened, I was Minister of Education. It was Professor Etta Banda who was at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at that time. But it was I who persuaded the President that look, I am an expert in international relations, why don’t you let me handle this, so he appointed me Minister of Foreign Affairs and I led a delegation consisting of myself, Goodall Gondwe, George Chaponda, Nicholas Dausi and Ben Phiri. We first went to London where we met William Hague himself, the Foreign Secretary, but also members of the Africa Committee of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. From there we went to Berlin because there was also some trouble with the Germans and from there I went to Brussels where I met the European Union. The British ended up sending another High Commissioner and that was the beginning of a new relationship and we now have an excellent relationship with the British Government.”
Mutharika said despite what he did, some people continue to say he was a disaster in every ministry he went to.
“I don’t know what they are talking about. They are so biased against me that they see things that are not there. So, the things I did in those ministries are also part of my legacy. So, if you judge me fairly, my legacy would be strong.
“But the trouble is people decided from the beginning to be against me. There are two reasons, one, that I had been outside the country for a very long time and somehow people did not feel that I am a legitimate Malawian, so there was that resentment from the beginning. Second is the resentment that another member of the same family was also the President of this country. So, some people decided from the beginning that no matter what I do, I have failed. But if you look at what I have done as an adviser to the president, a minister and president I think I have contributed positively to the country,” he said.
Mutharika was defeated by Chakwera in a court sanctioned presidential election in June but during media interviews, said he did not lose the polls which he described as the worst in the country’s history, but that his party lost government.
He said the vote on June 23 2020 was marred with violence as his DPP election agents were beaten, abducted and denied access to some polling centres.
“The so called fresh presidential elections were a farce,” said Mutharika.
He said the courts had even legislated from the bench a majority threshold rule of declaring a winner with 50% of votes unlike in past elections where the first-past-the-post was declared winner.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
These are the things that made you lose at the polls and government :
1. Poor leadership
2. Unspeakable Thievery ( kuba)
3. Nepotism
4. Mediocrity
5. Cluelessness
6. Unspeakable poverty
7. Poor health services
8. Poor infrastructure
9. Tribalism
10. Sleeping at the wheel
MEDIOCRITY, TRIBALISM and CRONYISM were the hallmarks of APM legacy. Yes politicians put into positions people they like. Koma akuruwa iyayi- total lhomwelisation of the civil service
MCP kudzachita manyazi pamenepaja.
Why waste time listening to this stupid man who led the most corrupt and nepotistic government in Malawian history. Stupid and idiot
This dude is deluded and a waste of time…how can he deny things which have overwhelming evidence?
He failed miserably in any Ministry that his late brother Bingu assigned him.
The Fresh elections were the best elections in Malawi so far.
The Judges were so on point that they have been awarded an international award for their professionalism.
And yet he has the audacity if denying all the above? The elections showed that 58%of Malawians gave you a vote of no confidence APM and no matter what APM says…he is a loser and a sour one at that.
Yes APM you are right those who see you as somebody who have contributed to the country nothing are at fault. You have used the word “if you judge me fairly” yes going by that you were our president and ruled the country. Not all things you did can please or displease all likewise your predecessors and your successor thats how life is all about. I wish you good retirement. By the way God should bless you for what you have just said recently even none has commended your wise words, its just unfortunate. You have said, “The presidency office needs respect because it is the heart of the malawians” What you meant was malawians need to respect the incumbent president that is quite commendable because if it were somebody you could have chosen to do what the incumbent president and his vice did to you during demos and the like. Secondly you have said malawians should not judge the president within his 90 days of tenure citing its unfair to do so instead you had said let us give time to implement what he has at the same completing what ur regime had championed. And finally you had said you do not want to be talking now and then in fear that some may think you would like to distabilize his regime yet you advocate for remaining calm building your party so that you give our president and his vice time to work for malawians as they promised during campaign. Based on all this i salute you APM and please keep it this way so that we build malawi and enawa atengerapo phunziro ngati ali ndi mzimu wa Mulungu, God bless and long live APM. So i truly agree with you that you lost govt but not elections because as some had thought that you rigged the elections it was not like that. In 2019 you got 1,700,000 and came 2020 you got 1,900,000 so it means ppo voted for you in good faith. Otherwise if it was rigging what could happen was instead of getting 1,900,000 votes then it could be much lower say 1,000,000. Mulungu adalitse inu former president wathu wadziko lokondedwa la malawi, mukhale ndi moyo wautali. Dziwani ichi angakhale adani angachuluke bwanji God will fight for you DPP is coming back in 2025. Pempho ndi lakuti ana anu awa Nankhumwa ndi Grezeda kambiranani nawo musawapsere mtima msanga singayambe kufooketsa chipani bcoz ufumu uliwonse ukagawanika sulimba so listen to them adzudzuleni mwachikondi.
He is entitled to his views and opinions but i chose to differ, His tenure is more associated with mediocrity all over. On a scale out of ten, he gets two from me! That’s why we gave him an audacious boot! Now, he shouldn’t cling to the DPP, we need a strong opposition, they need to sort out their leadership issues swiftly. Why cant he just retire gracefully and enjoy life, through lifetime perks at the lake. This country doesen’t even need his advice. The sooner they revamp the party the better. Fresh competent faces with appropriate skills should be recruited. I was in the capital a few days ago and the much talked about interchange does bot appeal to me. And that small construction took more that six years to construct worth billions from a bond. And its incomplete, the walls will crumble with the looming rains.
Akuluwa asatisokosepo apa. Misewu inayi like Mangochi to Liwonde, Karonga to Songwe and Mzuzu to Nkhatabay were already there but they reached their lifespans just like many other roads. Kodi umati udzingodya pa u president osagwira ntchito. Zako zidatha whether you lost government or polls. Government is chosen by the people. You have a list of bad things that you did and led to your downfall. Zipanga ana ngati zingatheke. Usatisokonseso.
Uku ndiye kupusatu. If u say misery alipo ndikale koma they reached their lifespan are you insinuating that Malawi was better off with the old workout roads???
Tamaganizani bono.
Koma zithunzi za anthuwa kumayikako zabwino. Kukamwa yasaa chonchi ngati gulo (gecko lizard) kapena kuti kababa in Tumbuka.
Akagwere!!
Sakunama. Only time will tell. The truth will be out. Most people now appreciate Bingus legacy. Only time shows you how good you had it with your ex mamuna wanyuwani akayamba kukubwafula
Bingu’s legacy? 63 billion.,
But if he has done enough to Malawians what is that he cannot mention? KUBA?
Malawi has never have thieves like Peter,Muluzi and Bingu. Court fears Muluzi
APM can only play with the beads around Gertrude’s waist, nothing else for him to do or to say. He should stop wasting time and prepare for life in prison. A day light thief, and most corrupt President, who dreamt of creating a Mutharika and Muluzi dynasty to rule Malawi. Lock APM up!!! or I will go and make a citizen’s arrest and throw him in a cell at Zomba. Corrupt shit.
Any Fool who takes Over the Presidency and Start Dividing a Country along Tribal lines….Causing anger ,pain and grief …Can Never Claim to have left a good Legacy ….
Malawi is really and truly the warm heart of Africa. Thanks, kind folks..
He is saying the truth, and thanks that you admitted defeat, coz the way things were, you would have lost even your life, but thanks for your contribution
Peter Mutharika proved to be the MOST corrupt President Malawi has had. This old incoherent thief should be locked up in prison for looting public funds. I once met him when he was Minister of Education and urged him to level the playing field for procurement of note books. Mutharika misunderstood me and told me to make sure I paid directly to him, his share of the inflated price and not to Ben Phiri or anyone else. This Mutharika and his thieving brother Bingu will rot in hell.
APM and idiot sound the same. Only that idiot does not know.
If truth be told, APM contributed a lot to the country’s social, political, economic and infrastructure development. The most peaceful President Malawi has ever had, no political arrests were done under his presidency. Untold developments in cities, towns and communities; roads, hospitals, Technical Colleges, Schools, safe water, and many others. Yes, to error is human and APM is a human, thus, subject to error BUT, soon or later, Malawians will remember APM as a great leader.
Untold developments (Singapore?), my foot.
Development in unprecedented looting.
Hahaha I can’t remember this buffoon even if they squid DOOM into my mouth 🤔🇲🇼
You did ur best APM kungoti anthu tinabadwa osayamika
What a fool! What contribution did you make! The country is in a mess because of you APM. You created a mess in the civil service and parastatals. You were corrupt.
Seems like an ex hyping all the things they did for you when all they did was buy you soxes for your birthday.
You don’t show people the sun….they all see it on their own.
Kagwere uko useless nkhalamba iwe.
Good for some of us behind the family curtains where your own president brother would appoint you at your directive. The press isn’t giving the full story you’re striving to offer about your legacy Papa APM. Yes two presidents from the same a replica of the Bush family nothing explosive your Excellency. Will you please a write a book an autobiography in which you’ll defend your record while in government as a minister as well as president. But why are you defining the DPP succession through your lenses? We don’t see your Excellency releasing the top leadership from your grasp,your grip on the whole party is contributory to the clandestine leadership games in the mighty opposition party. Look the party was the brainchild of your brother this time around the party belongs to the whole Nyasaland we aren’t ready to witness its death. Let it prick the government in the parliament
Koma mdala uyu is really useless, what good legacy, looting govt of its resources is what he calls good?
Iwe Monosile ndiiwe chitsiru cha munthu. If you have nothing to say jus keep quite. This country will ever never have a President like Mutharika. He is a States Man, he transformed Malawi beyond recognition and became tolerant to salvage acts that Chakwera and his bunch of looters, thugs and ill minded team promoted – shame on them all. GOD IS THERE IS TO CHARGE. .
In your opion yes, but most malawians no, corruption, tribalism, nepotism etc lawless county ma vendors palipose
@Jobasi: Mwana wa Adadi weni-weni a Jobasi. A crying cadet!
Your thing was a waste of SPACE