MALAWI: Chancellor receives death threats for criticising Mutharika govt

Lilongwe - A political scientist at the University of Malawi (UM) has vowed to stop commenting on political issues in the country after he allegedly received death threats from regime operatives.

Peter Mutharika. (File AP)

Blessings Chinsinga, Chancellor at the UM, said the hit squad was plotting his assassination due to his critiques of President Peter Muthrika's government.

According to Nyasa Times, Chinsinga said that the threats followed a high-level conference held in Blantyre under the aegis of the Public Affairs Committee (PAC).

"I think some people were not happy with my contributions at my last PAC meeting," said Chinsinga.

In his address during the conference, the Chancellor reportedly suggested that the country had deep-rooted political, economic and social problems due to "accidental presidents" that had ruled Malawi since 1994.

Chinsinga also added that the country had spent the last 20 years being governed by "trial and error leaders".

Jappie Mhango, a government spokesperson, gave commentary on the issue, stating that Chinsinga "invites trouble" for himself by always blaming the Mutharika-led administration.

"The problem with Chinsinga is that nothing good of the DPP government comes from his mouth," he said.

Mhango has described Chinsinga's claims as a "pack of lies" from someone who was just looking to "buy cheap public sympathy".

The development followed from a statement recently released by the Malawi chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), condemning the apparent lack of tolerance for free speech in the country.

According to the statement released last week, the organisation appealed to Mutharika to distance his administration from incidents that threatened democracy and tarnished his image.

News24