It was billed to be a defining moment press briefing but journalists who converged at Page house were left unsatisfied as former President Peter Mutharika failed to provide concrete responses to questions that were posed.
Journalists were ferried as far as Lilongwe while others travelled all the way from Blantyre but when the time came for them to do what they were invited for (asking questions) the convener was seemingly lost in his own game.
First to take to the floor was Zodiak Broadcasting Station’s Director of News Gabriel Kamlomo who asked the former president on who would lead the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) if the country was to go to polls today making reference to his calls for the immediate resignation of the incumbent.
The former President said as a party they will have to go back and decide as to who would be on the ballot in the event that elections are held today arguing as it stands he is still DPP’s president.
Kamlomo was then followed by Malawi Broadcasting Corporation’s Mangochi Bureau Chief Mirriam Kaliza who asked the former President to explain the role DPP played in the unbundling of ESCOM which many are attributing to the current electricity blackouts the country is experiencing saying there were several mis-procurements during the DPP era at both ESCOM and EGENCO.
The former president again failed to provide a convincing answer saying the then Energy Minister Bright Msaka oversaw the unbundling process as such he is better placed with all the information.
Then Kaliza again asked the former president on the role the DPP played in the purported falsifying of figures to the IMF which resulted in the IMF suspending the Extended Credit Facility to Malawi.
The former president was again clueless saying he needed more time to consult before giving a comprehensive response.
The former president was again at pains to highlight any successes which the current administration has managed to achieve in the two years it has been in office.
Mutharika had called for the press briefing at his retirement home in Mangochi to address the nation on what he called emerging issues affecting the country.
