DPP will hold convention when we are ready, says the President
President Bingu wa Mutharika on Friday said it is not automatic that he will be the presidential candidate for his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). He said the position will be open for contention when the party goes for its convention anytime soon.
Addressing journalists during what he termed Presidential Chat with the Press, Mutharika said the DPP was not under pressure to hold a convention and it will hold one whenever the party is ready.
“It is not only the position of running mate that we will be considering even myself I just expressed interest but everyone is free to contest with me. If you will win and become the candidate I will support you and if I win you will support me as well,” said Mutharika.
Mutharika also said as State President he is ready to serve only his maximum two terms and thereafter he would retire to pave way for another leader to continue with the development of the country from where he would stop in 2014.
“Next year I intend to stand again but after that you will not hear of me amending the constitution to continue ruling, no. After my second term I will retire,” he said.
Asked what would be his next destination after retirement Mutharika, who was in a different mood from Monday when he lambasted journalists for asking him questions which he said were outside his successful Beijing trip said: “I will buy a locking chair, sit for six months and then I will tell you my plans.”
He likened the presidency to a relay race whereby he said the buton stick has to be handed over after every ten years if a country is to move on with development.
“Malawi is not a personal farm or business. I am here in trust. Every leader should have it in mind that this is not my property. As an incumbent you have to develop the country up to where your friend will pick it from. What is important every development should not slide backwards,” he said.
On the relationship between his government and opposition Mutharika said he has always been open for dialogue but the problem was that the two sides have always failed to agree on the agenda of the dialogue.
He said if an agenda for the dialogue is established he is ready to have talks with the opposition.
Mutharika, however, said it was a lie that he sent Minister of Industry, Trade and Private Sector Henry Mussa to meet Muluzi to discuss a possibility of the two working together in the 2009 general elections.
“If Mussa went to see Muluzi that I can not say because what happens after 6.00 pm nobody knows,” he said.
Mutharika also bashed Muluzi for his insistence that the country’s economy has gone down unlike when he was in power.
The president, who took over from Muluzi in 2004 said Muluzi’s outbursts were coming from someone who is not conversant with economic issues.
“I think we come from a different economic school, myself and Muluzi,” said Mutharika, who holds a doctorate qualification in economics and has worked in various positions in the economic field both locally and international.
He said even some villagers would know and understand the economics of prices better than ’some heads of state’ saying there are certain things such as fuel prices and economic developments that contribute to price increases and Malawi, as a country has no control over such factors.
Mutharika said unfortunately with liberalisation it is impossible to have control over prices but added that as government it is watching and would act if there is too much profiteering.
He also said government was working on plans on how minibus prices, which is also currently a thorny issue, are reduced to a level where Malawians would not be burdened.
On this year’s farm input programme Mutharika, who is also the Minister of Agriculture admitted that the programme had several implementation problems including corruption and mistakes which he said some emanated from his ministry.
He however maintained that the programme would go on still using the coupons system.
“We indeed noticed that there was a lot of corruption with the coupons but is there a better alternative. This year I can assure you there would be no theft of coupons,” said Mutharika.
He added: “Subsidy goes beyond subsistence farming but it is not meant for commercial farmers. Those talking about universal subsidy are not living on this earth. No government anywhere can afford that. It will still be targeted but this year we will do it better.”
He said although the MCP and the UDF have been talking of clubs the system also already failed in the past and that the use of clubs would mean that distribution of the subsidy would be dominated by politicians depending on a political party which is strong in an area.
Commenting on this year’s budget Mutharika said Malawians should expect another development budget which he said would ensure continuity of the economic growth which he said Malawi has attained since 2006.
On maize security Mutharika maintained that he believes that although the country experienced floods and other disasters this year the country would experience another surplus.
He, however, blamed private traders who he said create artificial shortages by buying the maize and stockpile it in neighbouring countries of Zambia and Tanzania with the aim of selling back to Malawi.
Mutharika also condemned the political violence in Machinga and Blantyre.
Commenting of the media role in the violence Mutharika quashed complaints against two state controlled MBC and TVM that there were not covering the opposition saying what did the opposition expect when it denied funding to the two institutions.
“In fact there was no need to deny the two the funding, there could have been dialogue. In future they would not be stupid to deny MBC and TVM funding because actually this is April and we are going to the next budget the two are still operating. What have they achieved?” said Mutharika.
Mutharika also said due to lack of funds the country will not hold local government elections in 2009 since he said it is not only the funding for the polls which will be needed but also money for the allowances and salaries of the elected councillors.
He also said there will be a lot to be put into the elections, such as capacity and civic education if the country will have two elections at once.
“Do you want me to stop all the projects, schools, roads to have the money to give to the councillors,” said Mutharika.
On the international scene Mutharika also commented on the Zimbabwe elections and the People’s Republic of China crackdown on Tibet.
On Zimbabwe he said since as SADC they have South African President Thabo Mbeki who was mandated to take charge of Zimbabwe affairs it was be ‘indiscipline’ for any SADC head of state to make a statement on Zimbabwe.
“It is not that we don’t have opinions. However, on the way forward clearly we have to wait for the election results. As I have always said Zimbabwe problems can only be solved by the Zimbabweans themselves,” said Mutharika, who added that although he has long relations with Zimbabwe he has no solutions for the country.
On China he said during his recent visit he went to Beijing to cement the new bilateral relationship and although he was aware of what is happening in Tibet he did not engage any of the leaders he met on the issue.
Mutharika, however, said since the two countries will still be interacting at different levels Malawi will be engaging its ally in dialogue over Tibet.
“My only fear is that the Olympic games should not be linked up with the Tibet issue. Saying we want to boycott the Olympics will not help matters. It is an enormous problem let us put our hands together,” he added.
