As the country gears up for a high-stakes election, the health and candidacy of Arthur Peter Mutharika has become more than a personal matter, it is a national issue with profound implications for Malawi’s democracy.
Citizens deserve leaders who are transparent, accountable, and capable of fulfilling their duties. If Mutharika is unwell and unable to campaign openly, then the question must be asked: is this truly about his desire to serve, or about protecting the interests of those who benefited under his past rule?
Either way, silence and denial will not help. Malawi needs clarity, and the DPP must come clean with the public about the status of its presidential candidate.
In a democratic society, truth and transparency are not optional virtues—they are fundamental to public trust and good governance. Yet, the recent developments surrounding the former President and the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) handling of his suspected illness have revealed a disturbing level of secrecy and political expediency that flies in the face of both ethical leadership and moral responsibility.
Reports that Mutharika quietly left Malawi for medical treatment in South Africa have triggered intense public interest and concern. The absence of any official confirmation from the DPP or his family, compounded by denials from his personal spokesperson Shadric Namalomba, only deepens the crisis of credibility the party already faces.
More troubling is the deliberate attempt to shroud Mutharika’s health in mystery at a time when he is vying to return to the country’s highest office.
Malawians have a right to know about the health status of a man who is seeking to become their head of state once again. APM is not a private citizen in the ordinary sense. He is a public figure, the DPP’s presidential torchbearer, and a former leader who is asking for renewed trust from the electorate.
The deliberate attempt by the DPP to suppress information about his health condition is not just a tactical error; it is a moral failure.
In democracies around the world, the health of political leaders is considered a matter of legitimate public interest, especially during election campaigns. Hiding behind vague denials only invites speculation, erodes public confidence, and undermines democratic accountability.
Instead of acting like a modern political party operating in a transparent age, the DPP has chosen to operate in the shadows, reverting to tactics that have no place in a constitutional democracy.
A Party Trapped by Its Own Lies
This is not the first time the DPP has been caught in a web of secrecy and denial.
From corruption scandals involving top party officials to the unexplained accumulation of wealth by associates like Norman Chisale, the party has shown an extraordinary reluctance to embrace transparency.
This latest episode with Mutharika’s illness is just another in a long list of attempts to control the narrative while sidelining the truth.
Worse still, the DPP’s leadership seems more concerned about preserving the optics of a united and invincible campaign rather than addressing the genuine concerns of its supporters.
The people deserve clarity, not spin; facts, not fiction. The longer the party remains evasive, the more it raises suspicions that Mutharika’s candidacy is being propped up by a clique with vested interests, rather than a genuine vision for Malawi’s future.
Equally troubling is the silence from Mutharika’s immediate family. Gertrude Mutharika, who reportedly accompanied her husband on the medical trip, has also refrained from making any public statement. The role of the family in this unfolding saga cannot be ignored.
While families of public figures have a right to privacy, they also have a responsibility not to be complicit in political deception.
Gertrude and other close family members should put the well-being of the former president above party interests.
Shielding Mutharika from public scrutiny while he remains a key political figure only serves to enable the DPP’s opacity. It risks turning the family into political tools instead of responsible guardians of a patriarch who has undeniably aged and may no longer have the stamina for the rigors of political office.
The family must draw a line between loyalty and ethical responsibility.
To allow Mutharika to be paraded as a viable candidate if he is medically unfit is not only disingenuous but potentially exploitative. History will not look kindly on a family that watched silently as an ailing elder was dragged through the unforgiving rigors of political life for the benefit of others.
Political Expediency Over Humanity
The DPP’s actions suggest that the party is more interested in power retention than in the actual capability of their candidate to lead.
There is no nobility in thrusting a sick man into the political arena simply to maintain the façade of continuity. It is a cruel irony that those closest to Mutharika seem to care more about the seat he once held than the man himself.
This approach is not just ethically flawed; it is strategically myopic. By refusing to be honest with the public, the DPP risks losing credibility even among its core supporters.
If Mutharika is genuinely unwell, as multiple credible sources suggest, then the right thing to do would be to allow him to gracefully step aside and recover in peace. Instead, the party’s decision to deny, deflect, and deceive only deepens public suspicion and erodes trust.
Malawi has been here before. The handling of President Bingu wa Mutharika’s illness and eventual death in 2012 was mired in secrecy, with government officials denying reports until it was no longer possible to do so. And it was the same DPP and the same Mutharika family at the centre of it all.
That experience should have taught political parties and the nation the importance of openness, accountability, and ethical conduct when it comes to the health of national leaders.
It is deeply unfortunate that more than a decade later, we are witnessing the same playbook being used. The silence, denials, and opaque communications all point to a political class that has learned nothing and forgotten nothing. The cost of this continued disregard for public trust is too high for a country that is still healing from past wounds.
The time has come for both the DPP and Mutharika’s family to act with conscience. If the former president is unwell, it is in everyone’s best interest to acknowledge that truth and allow him the dignity of rest and recovery.
The presidency is not a retirement home for aging statesmen; it is the nation’s most demanding job, requiring physical strength, mental clarity, and moral courage.
By hiding behind lies and half-truths, the DPP is not only jeopardizing its own political future but is also disrespecting the democratic process. The voters deserve better. They deserve honesty. They deserve leaders who are capable, present, and transparent.
The family, too, must play its part. Silence is complicity. If they truly care for Mutharika, they must step in to protect him from political exploitation. Let him retire with dignity, not collapse under the weight of delusions crafted by those who want to use his legacy for their own gain.
Probably, the stakes are too high?
Yes. as Malawi inches closer to the next election, the stakes could not be higher. But then, this is not just about one man’s health, it is about the health of our democracy, the integrity of our politics, and the values we choose to uphold as a nation.
The culture of secrecy must end. Political leaders must be held accountable, and families must not allow themselves to be used as shields for unethical decisions.
Mutharika served the nation once. If he is no longer fit to do so, let that truth be embraced with humility and responsibility. The future of Malawi is too important to be held hostage by nostalgia, denial, and political opportunism.
Let us hope that conscience will prevail over convenience, truth over tactics, and humanity over hubris.
