Muluzi should regret ill-treating Kamuzu

By Lucy Liponda

Former President for the Republic of Malawi should regret his actions for ill-treating Malawi’s first head of State the late Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

This was disclosed by former opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) vice president Nicholus Dausi this week.

In an exclusive interview with the national television broadcaster, the Malawi Television (TVM), Dausi, said that the former late head of state was ill-treated so much during the 10-year United Democratic Front (UDF) rule under Bakili Muluzi.

Dausi who is also Member of Parliament for Mwanza Central for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said he feels very bad when he hears former president Muluzi trying to talk good about the late Banda.

“Muluzi and his UDF are the people who ill-treated the late Kamuzu Banda and his family so much,” he told TVM this week in a series of interviews.

Dausi who was one of the closest aides for the late Banda until his death in 1997 said that under Muluzi, the country’s first president saw a lot of hell some of which cannot be explained.

“The late Ngwazi Kamuzu Banda saw a lot of misery through actions directly ordered by Bakili Muluzi and I will leave all this for God to judge Muluzi and his fellow UDF officials,” he said.

Dausi, gave an example of when Bakili Muluzi, then as President of Malawi ordered a search at the Kamuzu Banda’s retirement home of Mudi in the commercial city, Blantyre.

He said the search for the so called ‘documents’ took a good two days and all this time, the late Kamuzu who was sick, old and frail was made to remain awake throughout to witness the exercise.

“I was there when the Bakili Muluzi ordered Police pestered the late Ngwazi Dr Kamuzu Banda even in his bedroom looking for documents for a good two days none stop,” he said.

Dausi explained that although he personally protested this together with the former Official Hostess Mama Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira to the rude and unruly Bakili Muluzi searching Police, all this fell on death ears.

“The Bakili Muluzi Police made us remove the late Kamuzu from his personal bed, for them to search for documents under the sheets, blankets and mattress and this happened several times within the two days they were in the Mudi house,” he said.

Dausi disclosed that although Muluzi was fully aware that the late Banda was old and sick, he ordered the Police to treat him like a criminal.

“There were event points where we had to change positions of the late Dr Banda with the Police searching for documents behind his back and under him between the sheets,” he said.

Dausi who was then working as one of the security officers for the Kamuzu disclosed that one of Bakili Muluzi’s senior ministers the late Alfred Itimu even kicked blankets and danced on the bed of the late Kamuzu.

“In one of our meetings trying to hand over government property, the late Itimu jumped onto the late Kamuzu Banda’s bed, danced on it before kicking away a blanket that was being used by the late Ngwazi,” said Dausi, disclosing that Itimu said was doing this to show that Kamuzu was now powerless.

Dausi, who is also chairperson for Malawi Parliament’s most powerful Public Appointments Committee said that in all these ill-treatments by Bakili Muluzi, God will be the best judge.

He said it is for this reason that he decided that no matter what happens, he will never associate himself with the opposition UDF party and its leader Bakili Muluzi.

“The way Bakili Muluzi, Brown Mpinganjira, the late Collins Chidzumira, Wenham Nakanga and Shaibu Itimu ill-treated the late Ngwazi, Mama Kadzamira and others, we will never forget,” he said almost crying on camera.

Dausi said that whilst as devout Roman Catholic cannot call for revenge on Muluzi, he does see any merit in Muluzi complaining for any ill-treatment after ruling Malawi for 10 years.

“If he is facing any problems that he may describe as ill-treatment, Muluzi should recall what he did to the late Banda and his family, he will find out that it was all beyond explanation,” he said.

Dausi also did shed a tear for Mama Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira for all the suffering she got courtesy of former President Bakili Muluzi.

“Mama Kadzamira was persecuted by Muluzi, suffered a lot even spent nights at Chichiri Prison all because Bakili Muluzi wanted to punish the late Banda, his family and closest aides,” he said.

In the May 19th Presidential and Parliamentary polls, former president Muluzi and his opposition UDF party partnered the opposition MCP of John Tembo but the team was not voted into power.

During that campaign, Muluzi addressed political rallies with John Tembo where he praised the late Banda so much but people did not listen to Muluzi’s plastic smiles and cosmetic talk.

The two partners were jointly kicked out of the Presidential and Parliamentary race by the incumbent State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party-Malawi Digest.