We will not be silenced by Mutharika outburst – Mayaya

A leading human rights activist in Malawi has cautioned President Peter Mutharika from shouting at Malawians as if there were his own children, saying instead he is accountable to them.

Billy Mayaya, renowned for organising peaceful protests, said the intimidation would not stop Malawians from voicing their concerns.

“We will not be silenced. Malawi is going down the tube and he is busy gallivanting around the world instead of showing leadership,” said the fearless Mayaya.

In his press briefing on Thursday in Lilongwe, Mutharika flatly ruled out slowing down on global trotting on expensive chartered luxurious presidential jets, defiantly saying before December, he would be up in the skies heading to India and England.

But Mayaya said this type of arrogance, intolerance and insensitivity to national issues shows this is not the type of a leader Malawians wanted.

“At the end of the briefing, am convinced we don’t have a leader who can talk to people who elected him. He tried to make sense out of nonsense out of the advice his so called advisors gave him. All he ended up doing was showing his true colours as an arrogant person,” said Mayaya.

But Mutharika said Malawians should understand that the office of the president, the highest in the land needs respect, irrespective of the occupant.

“Do you want your president to be at the airports for 10 hours? Please respect the office of the president. I want to help you and I want this radio to tell me how I will be travelling to countries overseas. I don’t want your money but I want to help you,” he said.