Malawi
Malawi president threatens opposition members

Misanet.com / The Chronicle, 17 June - Malawian President Bakili Muluzi last Thursday warned opposition members who travelled to South Africa recently that they will face the wrath of his government if they try to wage war to dislodge him from power.

- I have heard that Chakuamba, Chihana, Brown Mpinganjira, Ntaba and their friends are in South Africa to meet tsotsi's and acquire ammunition to dislodge me from power, Muluzi said. "But let them try! They will face the wrath of my government. We will finish them off," the Malawian President warned.

Commenting on the controversial third term issue Muluzi said that he does not want to be forced into commenting on the issue saying that 2004 is very far away. "What do these people want me to comment on. Mungoti Muluzi alankhule. Alankhule chiyani! You are just saying that Muluzi should speak on the third term issue - why? the president wondered.

But commenting on the threats, oppositional Malawi Democratic Party President Kamlepo Kalua said that if the president has got proof that some members of the opposition indeed went to South Africa to purchase arms, it is very unfortunate.

- Muluzi has access to intelligence information, he said. "If it is true that these opposition members went to get arms from South Africa then they do not love their country. But on the other side if he is lying then the President does not love the country as well," Kamlepo said.

He also called upon political leaders to desist from the tendency of using threats to win popularity saying that political platforms should not be used to scare away people. "We should be practising politics of creative thinking and economic tolerance," Kalua advised alluding to the fact that it is only ruling party loyalists who are currently obtaining financial benefit at the expense of the rural masses.

Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) publicity secretary Dan Msowoya confirmed to The Chronicle that they had made a trip to South Africa but parried Muluzi's assertions that they had gone to South Africa to meet tsotsis.

- Muluzi knows which tsotsis he is talking about, Msowoya said. "His sources are very crude. You can see that these people are panicking and want to scare Malawians, unless Muluzi believes all South Africans are tsotsis," Msowoya said.

He also wondered as to why Muluzi was concerned with the opposition trip to South Africa as if they used government funding. Said Msowoya, "The government should not be policing us. We are the legitimate opposition in the country. If he has evidence that we were meeting tsotsis he should bring it forward."

He also called upon Muluzi to call for early elections saying that the ruling UDF party has failed to govern the country. He gave the example of the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and Israel Prime Minister Ehud Barak who called for early elections after people expressed disaffection with their style of leadership.

- Muluzi wants to rule this country for three terms as if he has done anything good but he has failed, hopelessly, he said. "Malawi's economy will be difficult to reverse if the UDF reach 2004. The UDF should leave office before 2004 to give Malawi an opportunity of recouping the losses made under the UDF," he summed up.

Muluzi has always said that he will not comment on the third term issue because 2004 is too far away prompting political analysts to believe that he wants to take people unawares when he declares his intention in 2004.

By Christopher Jimu, The Chronicle Newspaper

 

© The Chronicle Newspaper.    You can contact afrol.com at mail@afrol.com