US diplomat describes Mutharika as ‘contrarian’

One of the United States diplomatic cables released by internet whistle-blower, Wikileaks, reveals a report the US Embassy in Lilongwe sent to Washington last year criticised Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika as an obstinate person.

The cable, released on August 30 2011, exposes a report former US ambassador Peter Bodde sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in which he wrote  that President Mutharika is a “contrarian by nature", and  takes "considerable pleasure " in challenging the conventional  wisdom and preferred approaches of Western governments.

According to the report, President Mutharika hosted the diplomats including heads of mission of U.S., Germany, Ireland, and the U.K. for a wide-ranging discussion at State House January 18.  Nine members of his cabinet, representing his nine developmental priorities, accompanied him.

Mutharika:

"This meeting was the President's first unscripted encounter with donors in some time, and he took advantage of the opportunity to tweak their noses on everything from IMF orthodoxy to same-sex marriage," Bodde wrote.

The report say the German Ambassador raised the issue of the same-sex couple that had sought to marry in Blantyre and were arrested.

He noted that he had received many inquiries from German legislators and others concerning the case, and asked whether government I would be reviewing the constitutionality of current Malawian laws prohibiting homosexuality.

Mutharika challenged the donor community that he would not allow homosexuality in the country even if it means donors freeze, saying it is unnatural.

Read the report: "President Mutharika was more emphatic and definitive: citing the Book of Genesis."

The cable quoted Mutharika  saying: "If God had wanted men to have sex with men, he would  not have created Eve.  He would simply have duplicated Adam!"

The report says Mutharika stated his belief that homosexuality was  "unnatural " and should not be sanctioned under Malawian law. .

Both the Education Minister George Chaponda  and Chief Secretary Bright Msaka provided judicious  responses, arguing that different societies and cultures took  different views of homosexuality, and that it was important  to respect those differences, according to the report.

Msaka remarked that a referendum would show that a vast majority of Malawian society opposed same-sex relationships.

US Embassy say they do not comment on antisecrecy website WikiLeaks in any frame or manner.

Nyasa Times 17 Sep, 2011

--
Source: http://www.nyasatimes.com/blog/2011/09/17/us-diplomat-describes-mutharika-as-%e2%80%98contrarian%e2%80%99/
~
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com