Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Prof. Peter Mutharika Escapes Treason Charges

Education, Science and Technology Minister, Prof. Peter Mutharika, is roaming freely across Malawian roads and streets after making claims that he owns the legitimately-elected government of his elder brother,Malawi's Head of State and Government Bingu wa Mutharika.
Peter- billed as the next in line for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Presidency and, thus, Malawi's possible-next president- has been making public claims on state-run Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Television equating state machinery to his own property despite the fact that Malawians elected his elder brother, Bingu, as the country's only legitimate president.
Peter has, for the past four weeks, referred to the Malawi government as 'my government' three times, and MBC TV repeated his footage without any qualms, raising fears that Malawi is being headed by two people- one, legitimate, and the other flaudulently- all this happening in broad daylight.
For instance, Peter saiud after handing over a school block in Mulanje Central Constituency that "my government will ensure that all schools across the country have basic amenities, including good class rooms and desks. Tge girl child suffers without these amenities".
Three weeks ago, Peter was at it again, telling people in Zomba that "My government will not leave you alone".
Now, people are wondering about the seat of Peter's government, as Capital Hill remains the seat of Bingu and his cabinet ministers. Many are also questioning whether Peter has his own cabinet since he claims to own a government.
However, analysts believe that Peter's sentiments may be part of Bingu campaign to sell his younger brother to the electorate well before official opening of the campaign period.
President Mutharika has come under a spate of criticism for campioning human rights abuses, among them stifling of the right to demonstrate, muzzling of intellectual freedom as seen by the current stand-off between University lecturers (notably Chancellor College, who have been on a sit-in for close to three weeks now; and the Malawi Polytechnic, having joined the sit-in this week), among others.
Mutharika's government has also been 'distributing' sedition charges as if it were distributing targeted input fertiliser and seeds to desperate farmers.
However, Peter is clearly being treated with kids' gloves, as he goes about referring to Bingu's government as 'my government'.
It is not clear whether Peter will be charged for running a 'parallel' government he refers to as 'my government' when his elder brother is already running a legitimate government.

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