Former President Peter Mutharika brought Blantyre to a standstill on Sunday with what he dubbed the DPP mega rally at Njamba in the commercial city. Scores of people mobbed Mutharika’s convoy from his private residence in Nyambadwe all the way to the vast grounds of the Freedom Park that teemed with a sea of people dressed in blue.
Mutharika, who used the rally to publicly declare that he will indeed be seeking office again at the age of 85, was holding his first ever rally since he came out to announce that he will be seeking office. It was also a first rally since the party purged some party leaders for challenging him.
At the rally, Mutharika took time to berate the Tonse Alliance administration for failing Malawians.
“When I was leaving government, there was 1 billion dollars in forex. Now the coffers are empty. This has caused untold suffering to Malawians,” said a buoyant Mutharika to the applause of his supporters.
Mutharika further took a swipe at the Lazarus Chakwera administration, accusing them of being violent in the run up to the 2025 polls. He alleged that the Chakwera administration has decided to make its stronghold, the Central region, a no-go zone through the use of violence. He then called upon Chakwera to make a declaration that the region was safe for all to campaign.
In addition to his grievances against the Chakwera administration, Mutharika admonished Malawians for their decision to chase him out of government before urging them to vote with sense in the next selection. Using Chichewa, Mutharika remarked:
“Musazavotenso mopusa iyayi, muvote mwanzeru ulendo winawo.”
He reminded Malawians of what he said on the campaign trail in 2019 when he told them that MCP did not have the capability to manage government affairs.
“I told you that choosing MCP is choosing politics over development, now you can see for yourself,” said Mutharika citing high inflation as an example of the failures of MCP.
Before Mutharika took to the podium, other party leaders appraised him of the situation and urged him to return back to power because things have gone worse since he left government.
He has since promised that he will be going on a nationwide tour to give hope to Malawians.
