Former president of United Democracy Front (UDF) Atupele Muluzi has announced his bid for the forthcoming general elections and has described himself as competent, honest, clean and untainted by corruption.
Muluzi said this on Saturday 15 July, 2023 during a special program with Times Group, where he confirmed his interest to be among candidates of the presidential race during the 2025 tripartite elections.
The son to former Malawi leader Bakili Muluzi, described himself as the only competent, honest and clean leader, untainted with corruption who can take Malawi and its ‘staggering economy’ to the greater heights.
He further revealed that during tours which he had to different parts of the world, he met political leaders, business captains and global experts, whose expertise can bail out the country from the current economic hardships through him if he is voted into power.
“I am an example of a competent and honest leader. I am untainted with corruption. I can stand firm and challenge every Malawian to investigate the time I served in various government ministries. They won’t find anything because I am not corrupt,” he said.
While pointing a finger at himself, Muluzi added that Malawi needs a competent and honest person to lead it through harnessing capabilities of brilliant minds both local and global towards specific immediate and long-term development targets.
He further mentioned that he is set to contest for the presidential role at UDF convention this year and lead the party in the 2025 elections.
Muluzi further teared into the Tonse administration for being inconsiderate of addressing challenges which Malawians are facing on a daily basis regardless of readily available resources which he said has the potential the economic status of well utilised.
He then proposed that Malawi should learn from how leaders in Gulf States harnessed the potential of their countries and added that with the available resources, Malawi can likewise create a Sovereign Wealth Fund which can be used to grow the economy.
“We are a country with every potential to jumpstart our economy. However, we don’t have the leadership currently that can harness that potential.
“Malawi has a variety of natural resources. We need to start a conversation on how, as a nation, we can create Sovereign Wealth Fund from our natural resources,” he said.
The UDF immediate past president continued by faulting the path taken in fighting corruption and asked for unity in resting the vice which he described as the number one evil destroying the country.
“No week passes without a huge corruption scandal. We have lost local and international confidence. We are a nation that has visibly and evidently failed to deal with corruption.
“We are not decisively dealing with corruption. All key institutions responsible for a for promotion, safeguarding and policing institutions—such as Parliament, Civil Society, Media, ACB, etc that makes democracy tick have been strategically weakened. Too much lip service; we are travelling dangerously,” he added.
On leadership philosophy, Muluzi said his leadership focus is centered on instilling confidence in the nation, noting that most Malawians are hopeless, convinced that things won’t change.
He further explained that he is pushing with a message of confidence mostly targeting the youth and mostly women because they are carriers of generations, claiming if women are confident, the nation will be safe as well.
