It is a fact that Malawi is a democratic country and people have that democratic rights to express themselves on issues of national importance.
As a former Head of State and leader of a political party Peter Mutharika is entitled to comment on issues affecting Malawians but where does he get the courage to criticize his successor who is trying his best to clean up the mess he (Mutharika) left in six years at the helm?
For starters, the Democratic Progressive Party was in power for 14 of the 26 years that MCP were out of power.
Bingu ruled for eight years while his younger brother.
One of the reasons Malawians were fed up with DPP was the chronic blackouts under their watch.
If there was an administration which had time to solve the electricity woes it was DPP but they failed big time. Their energy was invested in self enrichment through corruption. What they call the system was in fact the deep-seated infrastructure of corruption (Chihema chakatangale).
What could have become of Malawi if all the money they stole under their watch were channeled towards growth sectors such as the energy sector which Bingu called one of his priority areas within priorities?
The devastating Tropical Cyclones which damaged the power utility infrastructure at the power generating point in Kapichira was the typical example of how neglected the sector was.
In part, the scathing press release signed by his spokesperson, Shadreck Namalomba, the immediate former President, is ready to provide technical expertise on a number of issues.
It reads: “Our President is ready to provide technical experts from Democratic Progressive Party, should President Chakwera merit it.”
While the intention to be of help to some problems affecting Malawians sounds good, the motive may be questionable. Coming from a background where they want to take credit for every government initiative, the DPP is not the wise counsel to pay a listening eye to.
There is an interesting part in the press release when they are describing their failed DPP government “able”.
The sentence says: “Instead, they accuse the then able Government of His Excellency Professors Peter Arthur Peter Mutharika of sabotaging the Tonse Government to deliver power all day without blackouts.”
If theirs’s was a prudent government as they claim, why are they finding themselves in the opposition.
If the DPP was an “able” government they should not have lost the election in the first place.
All in all, Mutharika should be the last person to criticize the man who is spending sleepless nights for inherited problems.
If Mutharika means well for this country he can offer his counsel to President Chakwera without sentimentalizing it for political gains. If anything, it is time Mutharika is reminded that he was given the chance to rule over us but he failed miserably.
Mutharika needs to be reminded also that there is only one State President at a time.