Mutharika won’t resign – Ntaba

Malawi President Peter Mutharika ‘will not resign’ despite calls from the country’s two major opposition political parties—Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and People’s Party (PP).

The opposition made the call for Mutharika to step down during the closing stages of the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) 5th All Inclusive Stakeholders Conference Thursday night, accusing the Head of State of  sliding the Malawi into a failed state economically and socially.

They gave Mutharika 30 days to “pack up and go.”

But Mutharika’s chief adviser on domestic policy Hetherwick Ntaba said the President will not leave office.

Ntaba said Mutharika will remain in power until he finishes his term in 2019 when elections will be held and he will contest for re-election and rejects MCP and PP demand for his immediate departure at State House.

“There is no way the President can resign in 30 days,” said Ntaba.

He said the recommendation to have President resign within 30 days was not useful “for the purpose of dialogue.”

The opposition rapped the President of being responsible for the high cost of living and ailing economy, dwindling service delivery peppered with empty talk on Public Service reform.

MCP spokeswoman Jessie Kabwila said its “decision time” for the President to resign.

But Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe played down the resignation calls, saying the lead option would remain the President guiding the nation in economy jump-start which he expressed the hope will be done.

He said the resignation demand “wouldn’t be acceptable” to the Head of State who is resolute to change the situation.

“The resignation cannot be done. Forget it,” said Gondwe, who himself also rejected calls to resign.

“We are going nowhere,” he added.

PAC held the two-day ‘future of Malawi’ stakeholders conference under the theme ‘Defining Solutions to Economic and Political Direction in Malawi’ with efforts to find solutions to the problems dogging the country.

The chairperson of PAC Rev Felix Chingota expressed delight with the conference, saying it “tackled issues affecting the country.”

He stressed that PAC’s duty is merely to provide safe space for Malawians to discuss pertinent issues.