Former President Peter Mutharika says his successor President Lazarus Chakwera has done nothing, three years after being elected as president of Malawi.
Mutharika said this in Times Exclusive program which was broadcast by Times Television last night. Host Brian Banda asked Mutharika’s to rate Chakwera’s performance as president.
In his response, Mutharika who was ousted by Chakwera in the 2020 presidential elections, said he has not seen anything of substance to rate Chakwera on and it would be unfair to rate the president at this time.
“I think I will wait to see what his vision is and what his projects are then I will be able to rate him. I have to wait until I see more substance and as time goes may be we will be able to see that,” said Mutharika.
The host Banda noted that Chakwera’s sympathizers argue that the president’s progress has been derailed by issues such as Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and cyclones such as Anna, Gombe and Freddy which have destroyed livelihoods and damaged public infrastructure.
He asked if Mutharika would have done differently if he were in Chakwera’s shoes.
Mutharika responded that he would have performed differently, saying problems are always there and it is up to the government to provide solutions.
He explained that during his presidency there were floods in 2015 “and the economy was destroyed”. He added that he started his presidency after the donors had withdrawn their support but his administration managed to stabilize the economy, reduce inflation and leave foreign reserves equivalent to K1.4 billion amounting to 1.6 months of import cover.
“There will always be problems but as a government you cannot sit back and say because there is cholera I am going to do nothing,” said Mutharika.
During the interview, Mutharika refused to state if he will contest in the 2025 presidential elections but said he has been receiving calls for him to contest. Mutharika said he will make a decision on the issue before the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) convention which will be held in July this year.
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