Malawi: Its Prof Peter Mutharika, Bingu endorses his successor to chiefs

According to some chiefs who went to the meeting at Sanjika, President Mutharika gave a leeway to his brother who is currently Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister to succeed him.

We have been persuaded to support Prof Mutharika as the next president of Malawi. The President is determined to support his brother, said one of the chiefs.

We have been told to start selling Peter to anybody around us, said the source who added that their first strategy is to mobilize leaders from the grassroots.

The development follows an announcement by the Head of State that his brother was free to contest any position as a bona fide citizen of the country.

Prof Mutharika can stand for any positionin this country. By any position, I mean any position like any other citizens, the President said.

Reacting to the development Malawi Watch executive director Billy Banda described the remarks as sad saying the president was not supposed to interfere with the choosing of his successor.

People in the Democratic Progressive Party would like to choose their own destiny and would not want the process to be manipulated by the President, said Banda.

He said it is unfortunate that the President is showing undemocratic tendencies by showing that he would like to leave the mantle in the hands of his brother.

Banda said the President should know that Malawians would not want to have the presidency exchanging hands between brothers saying this would interfere with the process of checks and balances.

The President should know that there are people in the party who have been harboring the idea to lead the party saying what the president is doing is stifling competition, said Banda.

He said what President Mutharika should do is to initiate healthy competition among the aspirants by selling his ideologies and vision to those that would like to take after him.