36 Days for Mutharika to Pack; is he Stepping Down?

By: Happy Arnold Soko

Malawi President Peter Mutharika has already defiantly rejected calls to step down by refusing to meet Public Affairs Committee (PAC) on March 30, 2016, at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre for the presentation of findings from the recent All – inclusive Stakeholder Conference that was held in Blantyre.

Before he snubbed PAC, Mutharika vehemently refuted to bow down to calls by opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Lazarus Chakwera to appear before parliament to respond to questions concerning the socio-economic challenges rocking the country.

The development did not go well with Chakwera who clearly stated that he will reserve his questions for the president until he appears before the parliament.

According to Chakwera, Mutharika should have respected the rule of law by appearing before the parliament

“I did not pose the questions in the parliament and am still keeping the questions for Mutharika. We need him face to face and he should appear before the August House because he is also a member of parliament,” explained Chakwera.

However, speaking with The Malawi Star on Tuesday, Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) publicity secretary Francis Kasaila said opposition parties have waged a war they cannot fulfill. He added that MCP and PP are desperate since they are not in power.

According to Kasaila opposition Parties have no right to give the president an ultimatum to resign.

“The constitution does not mandate them to call for the president to resign.  Mutharika is no resigning no matter what. Their demands are baseless and senseless. DPP is here to stay and rule Malawi,” stated Kasaila.

Reacting to whether Mutharika is running the country with fear following his refuse to meet PAC delegates and requests by Members of Parliament to appear in the August House,  Kasaila hinted that Mutharika will not always adhere to the request as proposed.

He explained, “The president is not afraid to meet PAC delegates. When they want to meet the president, it is him to tell them if at that time he is free or not. He is not always a free person, everything is planned in advance and they have to realize that fact.”

But The Malawi Star News Analyst Thula Chisamba blamed the rise of a dependency syndrome among Malawians. He described the behavior to have highly contributed to the downfall of Malawi.

“Calling for the president to step down will not solve the problems. Mutharika doesn’t listen to Malawians and will not resign no matter the pressure exerted on him. He is on the position blindly leading us,

The challenge is that we always think of what the government is going to do for us rather than what we are going to do for the government and for ourselves.  Everything should start with us on the ground to promote ourselves. We cannot expect to wake up every day and think that government will bring food to our table. It should start with us”, stated Chisamba.

Malawi leader Peter Mutharika has snubbed a meeting with Public Affairs Committee (PAC) delegates which was aimed to offer solutions to the socio-economic challenges that have rocked the country.

According to PAC, Mutharika was scheduled to meet the delegates on Wednesday, 30th March at Sanjika in Blantyre.