Pressure mounts on President Mutharika to break silence on rising political violence
President Peter Mutharika is now under intense pressure to break his long silence on the rising political violence in the country ahead of the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections, including the stripping off of a woman’s clothes in Mangochi.
Officials from NGO Coordination Network and Human Rights Defenders Coalition on Monday afternoon held a news conference where they told Mutharika to comment on the crucial matter, saying his silence could be interpreted as sponsoring the violence.
Luke Tembo of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) said: “The President has the powers to end this rising political violence. After all, he is the He for She champion. He is supposed to be seen to be protecting the rights of women.”
Veronica Katanga, 32, was stripped off her UTM Party clothes, leaving her with just a bra and a skirt and a man in a video clip which has gone viral is heard saying the party is not welcome in Mangochi.
One person has since been arrested for the incident.
Tembo said the police needs to speed up investigations of assault on opposition members, saying some of the incidents happened as far as June last year but the enforcers are not arresting suspects.
“We are not trying to tamper with their investigations but we just wonder why issues to do with the DPP cadets take long to investigate when others take a few days to conclude,” said Tembo.
Presidential press secretary Mgeme Kalilani on Monday said Mutharika should not be dragged into opposition affairs, saying the President has and continues to strongly condemn political violence.
Towards the end of last year, MEC led by its chairperson Jane Ansah engaged political leaders—including Mutharika, Vice-President Saulos Chilima, MCP president Lazarus Chakwera, Joyce Banda of PP and Atupele Muluzi of United Democratic Front (UDF)—in face-to-face meetings to commit to an issue-based and violence-free election campaign to ensure a free, fair and credible election.
Malawians are not intimidated of DPP’s nakade violence against the freedom loving people of our country because they apparently know that DPP is close to a dying horse hence,the support of obnoxious violence which spill the blood of our peace loving people of mother Malawi.One thing Malawians must know is that Peter Muthalika is not a politician and does not know POLITICS,he is in this game just to enrich himself from peoples’ resources.The same thing with his rogue late brother Bingu Muthalika.Farther more,there is no difference with the MCP which brutalised our people for over thirty years by the MYP.To… Read more »
Mgeme ulimuzeleza wapulika
Shame on Gertrude Mutharika for not speaking up and condemning the violence against women and not showing up
Kodi what is wrong with this mangochi village????? every time there is violence there why!! these boys are bringing the savage life of south africa to mangochi, no wonder that mangochi village is not developing it is full of fools basi mxiiii
these thugs are being sent by peter mutharika thru mchacha ndiye sanganenepo kanthu. akudziwa iye peteryo
The old man is living in a world of his own. Probably doesnt even know what day it is.
What pressure my friend? He is an easy man. If for pressure, he would not survive to date.
Kodi agalu inu mulibe zochita ndiye mukuona ngatinso president alibe zochita? Chirichonse koma president? Tamakagwirani ntchito uko muthandize mabanja anu osati mudzadalirenso president pakhomo panu pakagwa njala.
Muthalika Pitala aka Alamu Pumani Mwakalamba will go down in history as an idiotic president, a prik. He allows cadets to have control over him. He is just as worse as Bakili Muluzi. Possibly that is the advice Bakili gives this old man. Both are idiots.
I think DPP officials are involved 100% in all these violence and it goes without doubt. Our president is educated but he don’t have the gift of leadership he is taking us nowhere, how come he is just quiet on such sensitive issues, and those officials want to sophisticate the matter. “Mbeu ya DPP yaola/yavunda nkofunika kuti itayidwe” hence being forgotten for good.