Demonstrations have dented Malawi’s image—APM
President Peter Mutharika returns home today from United States, where he attended the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (Unga) and among his speeches blamed MCP and HDRC of denting the picture of the country and scaring away some investors.
Speaking on Thursday at a news conference with Malawi media at the Unga, the President said some investors were scared of coming to Malawi because of the current situation which is characterised by violent demonstrations.
“I should appeal to those people who are engaged in this kind of nonsense that is going on in Malawi to stop. If they think that they are destroying Malawi and are hurting me by doing demonstrations, they are making a mistake. They are hurting their own country,” said Mutharika.
He added: “Malawi has got a very negative perception globally about peace in Malawi and whether investors would want to come to a country where people are destroying their own country through meaningless and useless demonstrations. So this is my message to all those people—Mtambo, Gift Trapence, [MacDonald] Sembereka, [Lazarus] Chakwera and [Saulos] Chilima to stop.”
The President said the image the four have created globally is “the most negative since Malawi was created and one of the most negative in Africa at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) have said the President is not being honest to the world and is in contempt of court for discussing the presidential results case that is in court.
Trapence, who is HRDC vice chairperson said yesterday said it is Mutharika’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that has been terrorising peaceful Malawians.
“He should not lie to the world. They think they can preach lies to the world and look innocent. They think they own Malawi and can use threats to silence Malawians,” he said.
Trapence cited the incident in Blantyre, where alleged DPP followers beat up Billy Mayaya and other HRDC members in full view of the police.
“We would like to warn him [the President] that no amount of intimidation will prevent HRDC from defending the rights of Malawians. This is not the generation that can easily be intimidated. The President and his party is an enemy of democracy and peace in Malawi,” he said.
MCP spokesperson Reverend Maurice Munthali also said Mutharika, as a professor of law, would have known that discussing a matter that was in court was undermining the rule of law.
Munthali further said Mutharika’s statements, since May 2019, are a recipe for violence and political upheaval.
Commenting on this year’s Unga, Mutharika said the session was successful and that Malawi would benefit from the participation as some investors, including showed interest to come.
He said among them is New York business tycoon Thomas Barry, president and chief executive officer of Zephyr Management, who has shown interest to invest in community technical colleges.
Mutharika, who arrived in New York on September 19, 2019 to attend the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, left the US on Friday September 27, 2019 for Malawi. He is expected in Malawi on Saturday afternoon.
