State House wishes to clear the misconceptions created by a news story entitled “APM ‘ignores’ Chakwera” and its corresponding editorial “It is called human decency, Mr. President” carried in The Nation newspaper of Friday, 14 November, 2014.

We find both the story and the comment misleading because they seem to suggest that the relationship between the President Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika and the Leader of Opposition Right Hon. Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is not cordial to the effect that they cannot greet each other and the State President can fail to recognize Right Honourable Chakwera in his salutations. Nothing can be further from the truth.

It is our belief that if The Nation newspaper had done thorough investigations, it would have learnt that the President actually had problems in greeting former President Bakili Muluzi who was sitting adjacent to the President due to the barrier in the VVIP platform. He did not see Right Hon. Chakwera because of the barrier.

All people present at the event saw how the barrier made it difficult for the President to interact with Muluzi. This barrier, is, therefore, a physical one and does not exist in the so-called barrier in the President’s psyche as insinuated by The Nation newspaper

State House is dismayed with lack of professionalism and the apparent ill-intent to bring unnecessary political innuendo in an otherwise straightforward matter as displayed in The Nation report and its editorial.

We wish to put it on record that on all public functions where Right Hon. Chakwera has attended, President Mutharika has duly recognized the Leader of Opposition. This goes to show that this was a genuine omission in the salutations, not intentional or made out of malice as The Nation newspaper would like the nation to believe.

As a matter of fact, the salutation document was handed over to the President as he was about to speak and as such he genuinely missed Right Hon. Dr. Chakwera’s name and a few other names at the event.

However,the presence of Right Hon. Chakwera alone in the same VVIP platform with the President is enough evidence of the President’s desire to work with the Opposition.

State House, therefore, would like to urge the media to be more objective and professional in their reportage and desist from being sensational and pitting the President against other political leaders in the country”, continues the statement.

We would also like to urge The Nation to refrain from reporting on non-issues and positively report on substantive matters aimed at building the nation.

The event brought together the President, a former president and Leader of Opposition—something which is becoming a common feature at public functions with this current government—and the media missed this rare and historical appearance.

Nonetheless, the President remains committed to maintaining a healthy relationship with the Opposition and the media in the country.

Frederick Ndala
Presidential Press Secretary
Kamuzu Palace