MALAWI: MUTHARIKA'S BROTHER KEY TO THE PRESIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L LILONGWE 000393

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/S - E. PELLETREAU
MCC FOR DIEDRA FAIR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2018
TAGS: PGOV KDEM MI
SUBJECT: MALAWI: MUTHARIKA'S BROTHER KEY TO THE PRESIDENT

REF: LILONGWE 366

Classified By: Ambassador Alan Eastham for Reasons 1.4 b, d


1. (C) Summary: Deputy Minister of Information and Civic
Education John Bande says Dr. Peter Mutharika, the
President's brother, has become the gatekeeper to the
President. Bande said that Mutharika and his brother saw his
presidency as a "miracle of fate" and intended to use the
opportunity to improve Malawi. Furthermore, Dr. Peter
Mutharika, an international law professor on sabbatical from
Washington University in St. Louis, and President Bingu
Mutharika have a vision for improving Malawi and the
President does not intend to let anything sway him from his
course. Bande suggested this is why finding a compromise
solution to the continued impasse with opposition has been so
difficult. End Summary.


2. (C) In a July 1 meeting, John Bande, the Deputy Minister
of Information and Civic Education, told emboff that Dr.
Peter Mutharika now acts as the gatekeeper to the President.
Peter Mutharika is the President's brother and Chief Advisor
to the President on Constitutional, Legal, and International
Affairs. Bande said everyone, including Cabinet ministers,
must first meet with Peter Mutharika. The younger Mutharika
then screens all ideas and concerns before they are brought
to the President. He commented that the situation frustrates
some because ministers and other key officials can not
control how ideas and options are presented to the president.


3. (C) Bande also stated that President Mutharika and his
brother both viewed the Mutharika presidency as a "miracle of
fate" and they intended to use this unexpected opportunity to
improve Malawi. He said that the President, an economist by
training, and his brother, an international law professor
currently on sabbatical from Washington University in St.
Louis, have a clearly definied vision for how to improve the
country, making it difficult for anyone to influence the
President's plan. Bande said he believed the brothers' firm
commitment to their particular vision is why finding a
compromise solution to the current political impasse in the
National Assembly has proven so difficult (ref A). He felt
Mutharika was not willing to risk having a political
agreement derail his plans for the country.


4. (C) Comment: From the Kremlinology Department, we have
noticed Dr. Peter Mutharika's status in the seating protocol
moving up, usually sitting very near the Chief Secretary and
the Attorney General. He has also participated in some
high-profile delegations such as the one that negotiated the
memorandum of understanding to recognize the People's
Republic of China. While others such as Minister of Finance
Goodall Gondwe and Chief Secretary Bright Msaka still seem
able to get the President's ear, Bande's comments confirm
that the best way to get a message to the President is now
likely through his brother. The situation is not entirely
different than the government under Kamuzu Banda, who also
relied on a small inner circle of senior civil servants and
family friends for advice and decision-making.
EASTHAM