Former Malawi President Peter Mutharika has offered to help the Lazarus Chakwera administration to fix the economy, saying he is concerned with the rise in cost of living since Chakwera became president.
Mutharika spoke today at a rally which the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) held at Njamba Park.
He said there is there lack of economic leadership as the country is on auto-pilot. He also expressed worry over the high cost of living in the country, saying Malawians are suffering.
Mutharika then urged President Chakwera to reshuffle his cabinet, reduce the number of presidential advisors and reduce local and foreign trips as part of fixing the economy.
The former president also advised the president to fix issues at the Reserve Bank and the Ministry of Finance and to introduce an economic recovery plan.
He then offered to send former cabinet ministers in the DPP administration to assist the Tonse Alliance Government.
“We are ready to help the government fix the economy. I can send my boys to help the president,” Mutharika said.
On nepotism, the former president accused the Chakwera administration of targeting people from the Southern Region with arrests while those from the Central Region are getting government jobs and businesses.
He also condemned the recent arrest of politician Bon Kalindo who has been leading anti-Government demonstrations over the past weeks. The former President said the Chakwera administration should stop arresting people for no reasons.
Mutharika, who declared that he will continue leading the DPP for the next two year, warned the Tonse Alliance that the DPP is still intact and it is confident of winning the presidential elections in 2025.
Speaking earlier, United Democratic Front President Atupele Muluzi said the presidency requires an experienced politician who has previously served in cabinet positions.
He gave examples of Mutharika and former President Joyce Banda who served as ministers before becoming president.
“A person should first know how the government works before becoming president. In Malawi we have given our bus to a learner,” said Muluzi.
But Dr HK Banda was never a Cabinet Minister before he became the Nyasaland Prime Minister. All of you politicians look up to him as someone when did a lot.