POLITICAL RHETORIC HEATS UP IN MALAWI

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000146

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR AF/S KAMANA MATHUR
STATE FOR INR/AA RITA BYRNES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KCOR MI
SUBJECT: POLITICAL RHETORIC HEATS UP IN MALAWI

REF: A) LILONGWE 105, B) 06 LILONGWE 833


1. (SBU) Summary: In another sign that the 2009 election campaign is
in full swing, President Bingu wa Mutharika and his predecessor and
presumptive presidential candidate Bakili Muluzi exchanged barbs
over the weekend at competing public rallies. Mutharika also lashed
out at Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader and presidential candidate
John Tembo, accusing him of accepting a bribe from one of the major
tobacco companies. This came as the government enforced a new ban
on opposition rallies at airports and stopped Muluzi supporters on
their way to a rally. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Declaring that, "enough is enough," Mutharika accused
Muluzi, who srved as president from 1994-2004, of trying to become
a "life-president." The President went on to threaten Muluzi, who
still has a potential corruption case to answer, that Mutharika had
"been patient throughout but...I am warning him that I will soon
act." Mutharika then turned to criticize MCP leader John Tembo,
accusing him of accepting an 11 million kwacha ($80,000) bribe from
Limbe Leaf Tobacco to stay silent over low tobacco prices.


3. (SBU) Ex-President Muluzi, upon his return from a trip to Namibia
on February 25, was refused entry to Blantyre's Chileka Airport
V-VIP room. (Comment: This is a big deal because as a former
President, he is automatically entitled to perks and special
treatment of this nature. End comment.) At the same time, some of
his supporters were stopped at police roadblocks on their way to
meet him. This came in spite of a High Court injunction, issued
earlier in the day, blocking police interference with a rally at the
airport on Muluzi's return. Muluzi later held a rally at a venue
near the airport, where he told his supporters that Mutharika was
afraid to face him in the 2009 election. Muluzi also accused
government of banning airport rallies because of the reception he
had received at a previous rally in Lilongwe upon his arrival from
London on February 18 (Comment: This part is true. But an Embassy
officer who saw the February 18 rally first-hand is sympathetic to
the idea of banning rallies of several thousand worked-up supporters
in the passenger pickup/dropoff lanes at the airport terminal. End
comment).


4. (SBU) The government announced on February 22 that it would ban
all public rallies at airports, citing airports as, "restricted
security areas in line with International Air Transport Association
regulations." Muluzi has traditionally held an airport rally each
time he entered or left the country, often drawing large crowds of
supporters. Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) deputy
spokesperson, however, said that the ban does not apply to the DPP
because it is the party of government. "DPP is Dr. Bingu wa
Mutharika, and Dr. Mutharika is government...you cannot compare DPP
to opposition parties," said Chakale.


5. (SBU) Comment: The truce, if there was one, is off between
Mutharika and his predecessor. Increasingly, every public act and
public statement by the senior members of the Malawian political
class is focused on the 2009 election, and the resurgence of the
Mutharika-Muluzi split is an example, emerging after a recent surge
of press commentary about a possible Muluzi candidacy in 2009. This
speculation was lauded by some (but not all) senior members of his
UDF party but most importantly went unrebutted by the man himself.
Similarly, Mutharika's swipe at Tembo further damages any
relationship Mutharika's plurality government might have with the
largest opposition party. If the President actually believes Limbe
Leaf gave money to Tembo, that would also go a long distance toward
explaining the vehement personal nature of the denial of a work
permit and subsequent departure of the Limbe Leaf Managing Director.
End comment.

EASTHAM