Minister of Information and Communications Technology Malisoni Ndau has maintained his earlier stand that President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika is in robust health.
Ndau said when he was refuting calls by Centre for Human Right and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Centre for Development of People (CEDEP) for the President to resign on health grounds.
Speaking in a media briefing on Thursday Executive Director for CHRR Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapance of CEDEP urged government come on the open and explain to Malawians the health condtions of Mutharika, saying silence of the issue is not helping matters at all.
“As we have said on a number of occasions, government should simply get out of this self-created pressure by opening up to public with true information on the health of the President. Threatening citizens with arrest is not a solution.
“We ask the DPP led government to stop treading the dreaded path towards a return to dark days of 2009—2011,” said Mtambo and Trapance.
The two said threatening to arrest those people spreading lies on Mutharika’s health condition is not a solution.
“ This will clear the cloud of speculations in the general public. Threatening and arresting people is not the solution and it is against democratic principles.
“In a democracy, a government that is not proactive in disclosure of true information should not stop its citizens from speculating.”
Speaking from Swaziland Ndau trashes the claims that Mutharika is not well and should step down on medical grounds.
Ndau said Malawians should not get worried of Mutharika, saying he is enjoying good health.
Meanwhile Mutharika is today expected to hold Press Briefing at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.