Opinion by Lyson Sibande: Let the Old Man Rest—DPP’s Cruelty to APM is an Insult to Malawi
There comes a time when even giants must sit down. When the strength that once carried nations fades into a need for stillness. When wisdom and legacy are best honoured not by dragging them back into battle, but by letting them enjoy the quiet they’ve earned. That time has come for Arthur Peter Mutharika. But the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) refuses to accept this truth—and in doing so, they insult not just the man, but the entire nation.
Peter Mutharika appeared in public recently, attending funerals in Balaka and Blantyre. He looked frail. Tired. A shadow of the professor, the statesman, the president we once knew. Age has taken its toll, as it inevitably does. He’s given this world over 60 years of service—first in law, then academia, then politics. He’s done more than his part. What more must he give? Why is he being forced to give even this—his rest?
He already has a retirement home. He already receives government entitlements due to a former head of state. Why then, is he being paraded around? Why must he be trotted out like a symbol of false hope by a party too disoriented to move on? Why are his friends, family, and party insisting on humiliating him—and the country—by pretending he can still carry the weight of a presidential campaign?
As the 2025 race begins to take shape, all other candidates are running. Literally. Rallies, whistle-stop tours, media engagements—they’re on the move. Engaging. Perspiring. Fighting. Meanwhile, APM stays home, clearly unable to keep up, and for good reason: he’s aged. He’s weak. He’s tired. And that’s not an insult—it’s reality. A reality that needs to be respected.
The DPP’s refusal to read the writing on the wall is nothing short of cruel. This is not political loyalty. This is exploitation. This is the weaponization of a man’s legacy because no one in the party has the courage or vision to step forward and lead. APM is being used—not honoured. There’s no glory in what they’re doing. There’s only desperation, and it reeks.
If they loved him, truly, they would be shielding him, not using him. They would be preserving his legacy, not dragging him through the mud of another campaign trail. They would be helping him close the final chapters of his public life with dignity, not shame.
What they are doing is a betrayal—not just of APM, but of the Malawian people. Malawi is a young country, full of bright minds and fresh energy. It is insulting to look at a nation hungry for innovation and offer them a tired, stumbling 85-year-old as a solution. It says, “We have nothing better. So take what we’ve dusted off.” It says, “We don’t care enough to even try.”
And yet, they will try to convince us that this is wisdom. That APM is the man of the moment. That his experience is the answer. But we know better. We can see. We can hear. And the people are not blind. The people are not fools.
APM deserves to rest. To reflect. To breathe. To look back on a long and remarkable career and enjoy the few quiet years left to him in peace. What DPP owes him is respect, not exhaustion. What Malawians deserve is a party brave enough to face the future with fresh leadership, not scared enough to recycle the past.
This isn’t love. This isn’t loyalty. This isn’t strategy.
It’s selfish. It’s wrong. And it’s shameful.
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