APM, JB must get matured – Analyst

By Alick Nzangaya

Malawi’s renowned social commentator Wonderful Mkhutche has urged president Peter Mutharika and the former head of state Joyce Banda to get matured in reference to their recent verbal tirade ahead of the forthcoming fresh presidential election.

Late last month, the former head of state told thousands of people who were gathered for Tonse Alliance mega really at Njamba park in Blantyre that Mutharika is an excessive Kachasu drunkard that makes him not to effectively discharge duties.

Banda’s sentiments disappointed Mutharika who later condemned the speech and described it as inflammatory and irresponsible hate speech which needs not to be tolerated in a democratic country like Malawi.

The president further said all politicians should be responsible with their utterances and should avoid deliberately insulting and provoking other people in the name of doing politics and added that this campaigns should be issue based.

However, barely days after his condemnation, Mutharika has fallen in the same trap as on Monday he revenged to Banda’s insult by saying that the former head of state is a prostitute.

Reacting to the political quagmire, Mkhutche the commentator said that both Mutharika and his predecessor has demonstrated that they are not really matured politicians claiming their derogatory speeches can negatively impact on Malawi’s politics.

Mkhutche told this publication that there is need for all political leaders in the country to really practice issue based campaign ahead of the fresh presidential election than what is currently on the ground.

“Former President Banda and President Mutharika must get matured and offer us issue based campaign. They are engaging in an unnecessary exchange of words and giving a bad example to those listening to them.

“This kind of campaigning is diluting the essence of politics. Politics is organizing people for national development and not castigation. These are known figureheads of Malawian politics. What they have done is giving bad name to politics and their names.” Said Mkhutche.

The analyst added that people should not only blame Mutharika on his speech claim the two who are all responsible to control their speeches, have done wrong.

“Former President Joyce Banda also insulted modest of the President in her remarks. What she said about what happened in China was a private matter which should not have been brought up as a political campaign issue.” He added.

Meanwhile, Tonse Alliance women has on Tuesday demanded a public apology from President Peter Mutharika within the next 48 hours for using derogatory language against the former President.

The women have threatened that should the President fail to apologise, they will write the UN Women to remove the Malawi president as a champion for the He-for-She campaign.