from MAVHUTO BANDA in Lilongwe, Malawi
Malawi Bureau
LILONGWE, (CAJ News) – SLIGHTLY over a week on the hotseat, President Peter Mutharika has threatened a crackdown on some groups he alleges are reigniting protests akin to those that destabilised Malawi in 2019.
The president (aged 85), sworn into office on October 4 having staged a comeback after his defeat in 2020, is convinced this is an attempt to cause friction between his administration and the populace.
Mutharika claims to have received information about some individuals and groups who are planning to organise fresh protests over the ongoing economic problems, which he pledged to resolve during his campaign.
“I am aware that there are some people who want to bring back the same chaos that we experienced in 2019,” he said in the southern township of Mangochi.
“These individuals are being funded and encouraged by those who want to create disorder in this country,” Mutharika added.
In 2019, Malawi suffered some of its worst series of protests, marked by nationwide rallies and strikes, about government pensions, the results of the 2019 Malawian general election and demands for democratic reforms.
Anti-presidential unrest was met with police violence against demonstrators, with an unspecified number of people killed over three months.
Mutharika had been announced the winner of the 2019 presidential election but the Constitutional Court annulled the results due to evidence of irregularities, and ordered fresh elections.
Mutharika lost the rescheduled elections to Lazarus Chakwera, who he defeated in last month’s elections.
Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has accused the returning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of stifling democracy by denying Malawians the right to demonstrate.
“Competent leaders do not see demonstrations as acts of rebellion, they rather take it as an opportunity to evaluate themselves and address the shortfalls,” said MCP-aligned commentator, Odala Livewire.
The analyst said citizens demanding accountability, transparency and justice from those in power was the heartbeat of democracy.
“By suggesting that people should not be allowed to protest, Mutharika exposes his deep insecurity about his own political record and the unfulfilled dreams he once sold to Malawians.”
Livewire describes the current administration as “an amplified version of the incompetent APM of 2014 to 2019.”
APM is initials for Arthur Peter Mutharika, who was first at the helm of Malawi between 2014 and 2019.
Livewire said Mutharika’s alleged attempt to delegitimise demonstrations was not about maintaining order but maintaining control.
“If Mutharika truly believes in his promises, he would not fear demonstrations.”
The 2025 elections were held amid escalating economic problems and the Southern African country bearing the brunt of climate change.
– CAJ News