CSOs say Mutharika ‘unwell’ and should step aside for recuperation: Condemn Malawi govt ‘insensitive’ conduct on President’s health
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) have condemned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s “dishonest and insensitive conduct” towards the health of the President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.
The Malawi leader has returned home after a weeks-long visit to the United States which sparked rumours over his health.
President Mutharika, 76, flew to New York a month ago to give a speech at the UN General Assembly on September 25 but there had been no word from him since, prompting speculation online that he was critically ill or even dead.
The government spokesman Malison Ndau moved to dispel the rumours, insisting that the president was “enjoying very robust health”.
However, on arrival Sunday at Kamuzu International Airport, the President was not visibly recuperating from what appeared an operation on his shoulder.
In a joint statement signed by CHRR and Cedep executive directors Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapence respectively, the two human rights organisations have said Mutharika is “unwell.”
“We find it unbecoming and condescending that the DPP government has been consistently lying to the Malawi nation that the President is in ‘robust health’ and ‘101% fit’ when the truth is the Malawi leader is unwell. This is un-called for,” reads the statement in part.
The statement says CHRR and Cedep wish to remind the DPP government that it governs on trust enshrined in Section 12 of the Constitution of Malawi.
“As such, Malawians expect nothing short of trustworthy information and conduct from government.
“We at CHRR and Cedep wish to underscore the point that the health of President is of paramount public concern, as he is the leader for all Malawians. Malawians deserve to know the true health condition of their leader to derive confidence in the leader’s capacity to deliver on the country’s numerous challenges.”
The two organisations say the President is “not an immortalised figure” , saying he is a human being who call fall ill like the rest of Malawians.
“ As such, it is beneath the government machinery to hide the illness of the country’s leader. This culture of needless secrecy needs to stop,” the statement said.
However, CHRR and Cedep have called upon government to apologise to the Malawi nation for the lies it has been peddling on the whereabouts and health of the President since the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Nonetheless, as per Constitutional demands, specifically Section 37, the rights bodies ask the President and his government to urgently explain to Malawians the cost of UNGA, including the expenses on the President’s medical treatment.
They have also asked President Mutharika to “honorably step aside to concentrate on his further treatment and recuperation” and wished Mutharika a “speedy recovery.”
On arrival, Mutharika did not address a news conference.
nothing to reporters or the hundreds of supporters who waited to welcome him.
A prominent rights activist Billy Mayaya has also called for authorities to release a statement on the leader’s health.
“We know everybody gets sick, but Mutharika is a president and there is a need for Malawians to know about the health of their president,” said Mayaya as quoted by AFP.
Mutharika, a former lawyer, was elected in 2014 for a five-year term.
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It is sad that in the twenty first century Malawi is acting like 15th century, the president can get sick biologically like any other person. In Rome Pope John Paul fell sick and in Malawi we knew that he was sick, seriousl sick etc. In Israel Shimon Perez was sick we had information. Why hiding that our president is sick? We would have been simpathising with him rather than ridicuring him.
Sounds like we are reliving the past Nyasatimes November 14, 2011 \ I’m not dead or missing, Malawi President speaks Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika was forced to refute recent reports that he was “missing” and rumours circulating that he was critically ill and had died. Ruling DPP vice president Yunus Mussa and spokesman Hetherwick Ntaba organised a news conference in Lilongwe on Monday to prove that the President was alive. Mussa telephoned Mutharika in Hong Kong to speak to a journalist and prove that he was fit and well. The President spoke to veteran journalist Dickson Kashoti of Blantyre… Read more »
Attn Dr Zaya Kunkhongo Mukumveka kuti ndinu a medical assistant, clinical officer, nurse or mwina adokotala kumene. You have given him diagnosis and a possible differential even without physically examining him let alone done any investigation, sic. Real doctors don’t comment on social media stories with diagnosis because they know when the truth about the actual diagnosis comes out you’ll be ashamed of how badly you guessed. In addition, your reputation, people won’t believe what you say over time. Look, if it was right shoulder joint arthroscopic surgery, why is the drip (IV catheter ) on the same side? Similarly,… Read more »
Nawenso Pita ask Rob how he has managed to stay strong all these years aaaah sunadyerere nanga
The guy obviously looks sickly to me. I doubt it’s anything to do with a shoulder op. A shoulder op would not have stopped the guy from addressing the crowds at KIA or at least answering one or two questions from the private media let alone public broadcasters waiting for him at KIA. The guy could have suffered a stroke to his left side of the brain due to poor supply of blood (ischemia) leading to hemorrhaging. This would naturally affect his brain thus affect mobility to parts of his body in Mutharika’s case his failure to use his right… Read more »
Attention Dr Zaya Kunkhongo. Mukumveka kuti ndinu a medical assistant, clinical officer, nurse or mwina adokotala kumene. You have given him diagnosis and a possible differential even without physically examining him let alone done any investigation, sic. Real doctors don’t comment on social media stories with diagnosis because they know when the truth about the actual diagnosis comes out you’ll be ashamed of how badly you guessed. In addition, your reputation, people won’t believe what you say over time. Look, if it was right shoulder joint arthroscopic surgery, why is the drip (IV catheter ) on the same side? Similarly,… Read more »
Zaya Kunkhongo you are full of hate. Iwe kumene umagwira ntchito amawachotsa ntchito anthu akadwala? How about iweyo utadwala for 2 weeks udzakondwa abwana ako akukuuza kuti ntchito takuchotsani kuti mukachite concetrate pa matenda anu. I find your reasoning stupid. Trapens and Mtambo are stupidly hateful too.
CEDEP and CHRR, where in the constitution does it states that if the president gets sick then must resign from presidency? If we follow this reason then how many presidents shall we have per year? I only agree with you that government owns us an apology for lying that the president is 101% well and health. Sickness comes anytime in life. When Undule MWakasungula was sick in Zimbabwe for almost a year he continued heading your CHRR Mr. Mtambo and why did you not force him to resign? Your call for Mutharika to resign is not coming because of his… Read more »
Bull-shit !! Tripance and Tambo must be stopped.
Zovuta kwambiri. Anthu awa a DPP samva ndipo ndiamene amaphetsa atsogeleri. How is it possible to let someone who is sick and unwell to lead the country, this position need someone to be fit and strong and some who you really know he went under operation and you force to lead the country very bad anthu inu a dpp opanda chikondi mukufuna afeso. As CSO’s have rightly said I also say stop lying to the nation and ask Malison Ndau to resign as minister. Get a lesson of Bingu.
The guy obviously looks sickly to me. I doubt it’s anything to do with a shoulder op. A shoulder op would not have stopped the guy from addressing the crowds at KIA or at least answering one or two questions from the private media let alone public broadcasters waiting for him at KIA. The guy could have suffered a stroke to his left side of the brain due to poor supply of blood (ischemia) leading to hemorrhaging. This would naturally affect his brain thus affect mobility to parts of his body in Mutharika’s case his failure to use his right… Read more »
It is possible, he had a stroke and one side is paralyzed or not functioning as normal. Hence the use of the left hand. Looking at the photo, It seems the right hand is just dangling without power. In a well oiled transparent democratic govt, the people of Malawi would have been briefed on the president’s health condition. Instead dpp thugs are just insulting the people threatening to deal with those spreading false rumors forgetting that there would be no rumors if people are given information in the first place. He is not ordinary, he is the president, so the… Read more »
We can not trust these people any more. APM is the state president by now not just a party president why hiding about his sickness? Malison Ndau and your team please apologies to the nation and after you need to resign we can not trust you with our nation any more