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| National |
| Pressure grows on Bingu over Comesa report |
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by
Gedion Munthali, 05 May 2004
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17:22:48
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Civil society organisations, churches and political scientists on Wednesday piled more pressure on ruling coalition presidential candidate Bingu Mutharika to comment on the Comesa report that he was fired because he abused his position.
They also said that if the allegations are true, Mutharika should either say sorry to the electorate for the mistake or bow out of the race.
They were backing calls from Mgwirizano Coalition that Mutharika should respond to the report that he was fired from Comesa in 1997 allegedly for failing to run the regional organisation efficiently, lacking vision to take it into the next century, and abusing funds and other resources.
Public Affairs Committee chair Boniface Tamani said Malawians are confused with two versions of Mutharika presented by Muluzi, one in 1999 that the ruling coalition torch bearer was a failure who mismanaged Comesa, and the current one that he is a distinguished economist who does not have a bad record.
“The missing link in all this, including the allegations in the Comesa report, is Mutharika himself. He must explain himself,” said Tamani. “If the report is true, then he can just say sorry to the electorate for the mistake. He will not lose anything. I mean, who has never made mistakes in life?”
But Forum for the Defence of Democracy chair Daniel Gunya said if the report is true Mutharika must bow out of the race and allow UDF to choose another presidential candidate.
“If we are to promote good governance and democracy, the country must elect leaders who have good morals and must have excelled in their previous assignments. The report is quite damning, and if not challenged, it destroys all Mutharika’s credentials as a meaningful candidate,” said Gunya, who is also general secretary of Blantyre Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. (CCAP).
Human Rights Consultative Committee chair Rodgers Newa said if Mutharika failed to run Comesa as alleged by the report, “then how is he going to run this country, especially now when the question of strong leadership is quite critical?”
“Issues of failing to manage resources and lacking vision are very serious. He must respond to them. He owes it to every Malawian. I mean, how do we have confidence in him when he is alleged to lack leadership qualities that this country needs to move forward?” questioned Newa.
Livingstonia CCAP Synod church and society programme manager Moses Mkandawire said the need for Mutharika to comment on the report is critical because he is vying for the highest office in the land, and that the report raises issues of integrity, abuse of office and mismanagement of public resources.
Head of Democracy and Governance at the Centre of Social Research Nixon Khembo said Mutharika’s silence on the issue will mean endorsement.
“We come from a background of corruption and mismanagement. Malawians should not be gullible to repeat the mistakes of the past. By calling on him to speak, people are just giving him a chance to be heard in keeping with democratic principles of natural justice,” said Khembo.
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