Africa-Press – Malawi. Deposed Former President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika says Malawi is creating a million poor people instead of creating one million jobs. Mutharika has taken a swipe at President Chakwera and the Tonse Alliance administration in a recorded short video message in reference to the the new government’s one year in which he is saying that Malawi is worse now than it was when he was the Republican President of the country.
The ousted former American international law professor, Mutharika, who is also Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) incumbent president. Said Mutharika: “Malawians are worse off now than they were under my leadership. Life is so hard now than a year ago. People are now lacking basic needs. There is no money for the people and many Malawians are struggling.”
The former Malawian leader said the Tonse Alliance government promised the people of Malawi heaven but now they are giving them hell fire. “Instead of creating the One Million jobs they promised, now they are creating One Million poor people. This is really sad.
“Running a government is a very serious business but when you have not been in government you think it is easy. People thought the change was going to bring the necessary change but little did they know.”
Mutharika added that the new government needs to live up to its promises and move the country forward. Earlier, when he was in power, Mutharika vowed that as long as he is alive he would never allow Malawi Congress Party (MCP) to rule the country.
However, MCP joined forces with Mutharika’s vice, Saulos Chilima’s UTM and several other eight parties to topple the DPP government from the annals of power.
Government spokesperson and Information Minister, Gospel Kazako when asked to comment on Mutharika’s outbursts he said: “The Malawi constitution gives every citizen the right to hold freely hold an opinion. But the constitution does not give anyone the right to hold their own facts. Facts are just facts and they don’t lie.
“The facts are evident that Dr. Chakwera and Dr. Chilima are on the verge of making Malawi great again. There is a lot still more to do but everything is on the right track.”
To the contrary, social commentator, Wonderful Mkhutche, says the current government has not performed as people expected in fulfilling its promises. “We haven’t seen much changes as it was promised during the campaign. What we have seen is a government which is just operating normal.
“I would say there hasn’t been much that government has done as was said during the campaign,” said Mkhutche.
Mkhutche added that “in one year, it is enough for government to show its political character. What we have seen in the past year is what we are going to see in the next four years. So, we shouldn’t expect much of the changes in the future,” said Mkhutche.
Mkhutche, then, called on Malawians to be vigilant “because government cannot be effective on its own; it also depends on how active we are as citizens.”
However, contrary to Professor Mutharika’s view that Malawi is stagnating without him on the driving seat, political commentator, Professor Mustaffa Hussein, said the Tonse Alliance led government has given Malawians hope by looting out nepotism and attempted to bust corruption in its first year of office.
Professor Hussein said: “Much as the coalition government has a lot to do, it has managed to do well. There is an attempt that the Tonse Alliance government stands for looting out nepotism and corruption. We see the government doing its best although there are challenges.
“There have been indications that at the top level there is willingness to deal with issues of corruption. On service delivery, they have tried; and again, in agriculture they have also tried. They have also ensured that right people are in positions.”
On 28 June, the Tonse Alliance government clocked a year after ousting Democratic Progressive Party in the court sanctioned Fresh Presidential Elections.
