Mutharika warns against protests, challenges civil society to embrace internal democracy

President Arthur Peter Mutharika has warned that his government will not tolerate any attempts to organize demonstrations aimed at undermining his administration, saying such actions threaten national peace and stability.

Speaking in Mangochi during his trip from Blantyre to his Page House residence, Mutharika said those planning to take to the streets are not seeking solutions but chaos.

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“We will deal with all those who want to bring confusion through unnecessary demonstrations. Malawi needs peace, not chaos,” said Mutharika.

The president urged Malawians to unite behind his government, emphasizing that this is a time to rebuild the country and restore the joy and progress the nation last experienced in 2019.

He further blamed the current economic and social challenges on what he described as “the leadership failures of the previous Malawi Congress Party (MCP) government.”

During the swearing-in ceremony of three cabinet ministers earlier this week, Mutharika took a swipe at civil society organizations (CSOs), accusing them of lacking internal democracy.

He observed that many CSO leaders have clung to their positions for decades, in some cases 20 to 40 years, without conducting leadership transitions or internal elections.

“Some people have been leaders of these civil societies since I was a young boy… there is no democracy there. So stop criticizing us. Also clean your house,” he said.

Mutharika argued that such practices weaken the moral authority of CSOs to demand accountability from government and urged them to reform their own systems before pointing fingers at political leaders.