MALAWIANS ASK PRESIDENT MUTHARIKA TO APOLOGISE OVER ‘EAT MICE AND GRASSHOPPERS’

President Mutharika: Let starving Malawians make a meal with mice and grasshoppers

Some Malawians have taken up on social media to ask President Peter Mutharika to say sorry over his “joke” gone wrong that people should start eating mice and grasshoppers in view of severe food shortages this year.
At least half of  Malawi population of 16 million need relief food this year because food production has gone down by 42 per cent due to El Nino powered phenomenon weather which has caused severe drought in some parts of the country and severe flooding in other areas.
However, writing on social media, some Malawians have described Mutharika as insestive, saying he cannot joke on real time and real life issues.

“Him and his wife and step son are busy eating tax payers sponsored spaghet, rice, sausages, beef…and he is telling us to go out and hunt mice and catch grasshoppers for food, what type of President is he?” reads one comment on Facebook.

Mutharika or State House have not responded to the fierce criticisms but Minister of Information Patricia Kaliati says Malawians have missed the humour in the joke.

“The criticism directed at innocent jokes that the president cracked at a recent development rally in Mulanje that people should eat mice as part of their food supplement is thoughtless and unwarranted. It speaks of fault finding of the extreme nature,” says Kaliati in a statement.

Kaliati, who is also government spokersperson,  says for anybody to suggest that such a President has abdicated his responsibility of looking after his people simply because he referred jokingly to mice as a food supplement is to sink Malawi politics to new levels.
- CREDIT: NYASA TIMES