Opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has described the recent surprise visits by President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika to Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) headquarters as merely publicity stunts aimed at hoodwinking Malawians.

Chakwera said this during a media briefing held MCP headquarters in the capital Lilongwe covered live on Zodiak Broadcasting Corporation (ZBS).

In his speech, Chakwera said Mutharika seems to be clueless, directionless and insensitive to the people’s misery and suffering inflicted through these blackouts.

“In the state president, we have a pathological liar who chooses to feed Malawians lies to give them a sense of hope that their state president is concerned about their plight when his actions tell a different story. As a matter of fact, it has become apparent that the president and his charges take pleasure in the plight, suffering and misfortunes befalling Malawians as they use these unfortunate situations to cash in and enrich themselves. We saw it in the Zambia maize procurement saga.

“Instead of being concerned with your suffering as Malawians, Senior members of the Mutharika government were busy finding ways to enrich themselves. I would have said much more about this had it not been that the matter is in court; we cannot comment much. The same can be said of the massive pilferage of medicines procured for the benefit of poor Malawians. Many people in government are benefiting through various evil schemes designed to deprive poor Malawians of medicines bought with their own taxes,” said Chakwera.

He added: “In the case of blackouts, instead of sincerely working to resolve the situation, Mutharika’s cronies have used the situation to enrich themselves. Whether this is with or without the blessing of the state president, we do not know yet. However, it is surprising that the state president has remained silent and has failed to act against on the allegation of serious misconduct of senior officials in his own government and ESCOM. He seems to be sleeping on the job and he cannot smell the rat in his own backyard and the President has opted for public relations stunts that bear no fruits to suffering Malawians.”