Consumer rights activist John Kapito must shut up and stop mobilizing nationwide protests over high cost of living in January because during consultations on the Economic Recovery Plan he was busy drinking beer and not attending deliberations.

This is according to Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu speaking in Zodiak’s Tiuzeni Zoona program to be aired on Sunday, December 16 from 12:20 PM.

“If we invite people you think are intelligent and they spend their time in a bar what do you want us to do? I saw Mr. Kapito spending most of his time in a bar at Mount Soche when we invited stakeholders for consultations,” said Kunkuyu responding to a question on the Consumers Association of Malawi led protests over high cost of living in January.

“May be Kapito is used to talking on radios and newspapers because when we invited him and others he spent most of his time drinking”.

The Minister of Information also appealed to Malawians to dismiss Mr. Kapito’s call for protests, saying well known activists like Mrs. Martha Kwataine and Mr. Undule Mwakasungula have not endorsed the demonstrations.

But in a separate interview, Mr. Kapito got angry and trashed the Minister’s allegations that he was in a bar drinking.

“I was not in a bar. That’s very senseless. In fact the meeting in question was not consultative as he claims. They brought in their childish ideas and imposed on the people present and you call that consultation?” Queried Kapito.

“They must understand what Malawians need at a time like this. What they have is not a recovery plan but simply a political rhetoric. Ask everyone who was present. I was there listening to the rhetoric”.

So far, with most civil society leaders distancing themselves from the January demonstrations it is yet to be seen if Mr. will be able to mobilize people and ho to the streets.