Peter Mutharika, the rock of Bingu – commentators
Political analyst and social commentators have hailed President Bingu Wa Mutharika’s younger brother Arthur Peter Mutharika as being the rock behind the survival of his presidency.
The analysts that Nyasa Times has spoken to have praised the younger Mutharika as being the brains behind the recent strides in trying to bring back the country from total collapse.
“It is a fact that following his recent appointment as Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, the Professor (as Peter is known in Malawi) has spent sleepless nights travelling from diplomatic office to another, from one country to another, all in the name of saving Malawi from total collapse,” said Mizwaya Moffat Banda who is one of the political commentators on MBC.
Another commentator said that Arthur Peter Mutharika has shown true love for his country Malawi and his own brother Bingu wa Mutharika is trying to clear the mess which many people have said has been caused by the senior Mutharika.
“Here is Peter Mutharika, a member of the first family who is working around the clock to restore the image of our country, what else does one need in a good man,” said another social commentator in the administrative capital, Lilongwe.
Noel Mbowela, a Mzuzu University lecture said President Mutharika needs to realize that all the efforts being put in by his brother are to his (Bingu’s) own good and that they need to highly appreciated.
“One can easily see that the President has now taken a back seat and now Arthur Peter Mutharika is in the forefront trying to drive the country out of the muddy waters that the big brother put the country in, this kind gesture needs to be reciprocated by the State President at any cost.”
According to information gathered by Nyasa Times from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lilongwe, following his appointment in September this year, Arthur Peter Mutharika has never rested meeting diplomats from the international community at Capital Hill.
Apart from meeting the diplomats, the young Mutharika has also travelled to Brussels in Belgium headquarters of the EU, Germany, Britain, Qatar, Australia and many others meeting his foreign affairs counterparts and other senior government officials trying to correct what was made wrong by the President.
According to close family sources, Arthur Peter is probably the only closest person that when he speaks, the State President listens to.
Said the source: “There are some national and family issues that anybody can talk to the State President and he listens apart from uncle Peter. He is such an important member of the family and in the presidency.”
The family sources say that Arthur Peter the internationally trained lawyer and academician of international repute can be best described as”a rock behind Bingu Wa Mutharika.”
The president’s younger brother has been nominated by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as presidential candidate for the 2014 polls.
At many functions where the State President has chosen not to speak, he has often times delegated his younger brother to take the microphone on his behalf.
The two are said to be very close to each other and seem to love and like the other.
On international arrivals apart from his wife Callista (if not on same trip with the State President), Arthur Peter Mutharika has been the only senior government official that hugs the State President.
Last August, President Mutharika sent his brother to represent him at the United Nationals Annual General Assembly where his speech got a standing ovation.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :