About two months after openly declaring her support for Vice-President Saulos Chilima, former first lady Callista Mutharika yesterday apologised to Malawians for being one of the people who supported President Peter Mutharika to be the country’s leader.
Other members of the Chilima Movement also said they are ready for the convention although, they claimed, procedures were not followed.
“Peter is, indeed, my brother-in-law. On this occasion, I am looking at him as a leader of this country. To me, he hasn’t done so well as president and leader of our party [Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)]. I was appointed as his adviser on HIV/Aids and Safe Motherhood but, after he appointed me, I only had a meeting with him once. And it was only for 30 minutes,” Callista said.
She was speaking at a press conference in Lilongwe yesterday when some DPP members officially declared and endorsed Chilima for president.
She said Mutharika’s poor leadership was evident at that [HIV/Aids and Safe Motherhood] meeting.
“I have never experienced poor chairmanship of a meeting…He is unable to make decisions, too much procrastination. We made a mistake as Malawians because we elected someone who is not conversant with Malawi’s culture,” she said.
“He has failed to surround himself with people who can assist him. I must apologise to Malawians for that,” she said.
DPP director of women, Patricia Kaliati, read a statement which was calling upon Chilima to contest against Mutharika at the forthcoming DPP convention.
She clearly said they will not be intimidated by anyone in their quest to have Chilima as the party’s candidate in next year’s election.
Kaliati, and others who spoke at the press conference, said Mutharika consults too much and, in the process, some of the people from whom he seeks advice mislead him. They said they have observed that Mutharika does not have the energy to lead the party, let alone the country.
“In constituencies, you are introducing shadow MPs [Members of Parliament]. But at presidential level, you want no competition. We need to level the playing field,” they said.
DPP National Governing Council (NGC) member, Noel Masangwi, faulted Mutharika for failing to call for a meeting for the past five years.
“The NGC is supposed to meet three or four times a year. But we have not been meeting. Most of the mistakes government was making were a result of that. People were being appointed to positions without consulting the National Governing Council. These are some of the things that have led to the current problems in the party,” he said.
He said they are ready to meet delegates to the party convention to sell Chilima.
“We know all our structures. We have been meeting different people. They are now busy removing people from their positions. They are doing the same. Giving people money. Is that not corruption? We also need to meet the delegates who were given K30,000. We will not go with money but we will talk to them,” Masangwi said.
He said the party has plunged itself in a constitutional crisis because of Mutharika’s type of leadership.
“We, in DPP, are in a constitutional crisis. If he knew that our mandate was ending in April, he could have called for an emergency convention to ask for a fresh mandate as we prepare for the convention. But, at the moment, the one who has called for the convention has no powers. Even the one who has sent her has no powers. But, for the sake of peace, we have accepted it,” Masangwi said.
Apart from Kaliati, Masangwi and Mutharika, other people present at the press conference were director of logistics Ben Chidyaonga, national organising secretary Richard Makondi, director of youth Louis Ngalande and deputy director of women Loyce Mponda.
MPs who were present at the press conference include Allan Ngumuya, Willet Kalonga, Joseph Chidanti-Malunga, Bon Kalindo, Malison Ndau and Paul Chibingu.
They said their next step is to meet Chilima and tell him that they want him to contest against Mutharika at the convention.
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