US embassy cable - 05LILONGWE738

C O N F I D E N T I A L LILONGWE 000738 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KMCA, EAID, MI, Political, President 
SUBJECT: (C) MUTHARIKA ON REFORM AND POLITICS 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR ALAN W. EASTHAM for reasons 1.5 b and d 
 
1.  (U)  SUMMARY:  AMBASSADOR PRESENTED CREDENTIALS TO 
PRESIDENT BINGU WA MUTHARIKA ON AUGUST 25, 2005.  DURING THE 
TRADITIONAL ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATION AFTER THE FORMAL 
CEREMONY, PRESIDENT MUTHARIKA EXPOUNDED AT LENGTH ON HIS 
PROGRAM (SELF-RELIANCE) AND MALAWI POLITICS (STALEMATED IN 
PARLIAMENT), AND EMPHASIZED A MESSAGE OF COOPERATION WITH THE 
UNITED STATES.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C)  FOLLOWING THE FORMAL CEREMONY OF PRESENTATION OF 
CREDENTIALS ON AUGUST 25, THE AMBASSADOR MET WITH PRESIDENT 
MUTHARIKA ONE-ON-ONE.  AFTER PRESIDENT MUTHARIKA'S  WELCOME, 
THE AMBASSADOR BRIEFLY OUTLINED HIS INTENTION TO STRESS 
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE U.S. AND MALAWI IN A NUMBER OF AREAS. 
 TO PRE-EMPT A QUESTION, THE AMBASSADOR TOLD MUTHARIKA THAT 
THE NEWEST AREA OF THIS PARTNERSHIP, THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE 
ACCOUNT THRESHOLD PROPOSAL, WAS UNDER VERY ACTIVE 
CONSIDERATION IN WASHINGTON AND THAT HE HOPED THERE WOULD BE 
GOOD NEWS IN A FEW DAYS. 
 
3.  (C) PRESIDENT MUTHARIKA USED THE ONE-ON-ONE DISCUSSION TO 
DESCRIBE HIS APPROACH TO MALAWI'S GOVERNANCE.  REFERRING TO 
THE RECENTLY-APPROVED IMF POVERTY REDUCTION AND GROWTH 
FACILITY (PRGF), MUTHARIKA EMPHASIZED THAT HE HAD TOLD BOTH 
HIS GOVERNMENT AND THE IMF THAT THE PROGRAM "SHOULD BE A 
MALAWI PROGRAM WITH IMF SUPPORT, NOT AN IMF PROGRAM FOR 
MALAWI."  THE PROGRAM WOULD SUCCEED OR FAIL BECAUSE OF WHAT 
MALAWI WILL DO.  "OWNERSHIP," HE SAID, HAD TO BE VESTED IN 
MALAWIANS.  HE EMPHASIZED THAT HIS OBJECTIVE WAS TO CHANGE 
THE EXISTING MENTALITY, FROM A COUNTRY THAT EXPECTED 
ASSISTANCE IN ALL SECTORS TO A COUNTRY THAT TOOK ACTION ON 
ITS OWN AND CONTROLLED ITS OWN FUTURE. 
 
4.  (C) TURNING TO POLITICS, THE PRESIDENT USED THE ANALOGY 
OF A RELAY RACE, SAYING THIS WAS THE LANGUAGE HE HAD USED TO 
EXPLAIN THE SITUATION TO HIS COUNTERPARTS AT THE RECENT SADC 
SUMMIT IN BOTSWANA.  THE POINT OF MULTIPARTY POLITICS, HE 
SAID, WAS FOR ONE RUNNER TO HAND THE BATON TO ANOTHER.  IF 
THE RUNNER HANDS THE BATON AND MAINTAINS HIS GRIP, THE RACE 
IS LOST.  HIS PREDECESSOR BAKILI MULUZI WAS USING OPPOSITION 
IN PARLIAMENT TO GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES AS HIS MEANS OF 
GRIPPING THE BATON, AND THIS MADE THINGS VERY DIFFICULT FOR 
THE GOVERNMENT.  TALK OF IMPEACHMENT WAS ANOTHER MULUZI 
TACTIC.  MUTHARIKA ANALYZED THE PARLIAMENTARY LANDSCAPE 
BRIEFLY, NOTING THAT WHEN PARLIAMENT DISPPROVED THE 
GOVERNMENT'S NOMINEE TO HEAD THE POLICE, THE LOSS WOULD HAVE 
BEEN BY ONLY ONE VOTE IF THREE ABSENT MUTHARIKA SUPPORTERS 
HAD BEEN ON HAND.  HE LAMENTED THE FACT THAT HE DID NOT HAVE 
A MAJORITY IN PARLIAMENT BUT ADDED THAT WITHOUT A TWO-THIRDS 
MAJORITY ON THE OPPOSITION SIDE, "THEY CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING." 
 
5. (C) AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE CONVERSATION, MUTHARIKA 
OFFERED DEEP APPRECIATION FOR THE CLOSE AND SUBSTANTIVE 
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE U.S. AND MALAWI.  HE WELCOMED THE 
PROSPECT OF COLLABORATION IN THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE 
CONTEXT, AND SAID THAT WHEN THE UNITED STATES NEEDS MALAWI'S 
COOPERATION, "WE WILL BE THERE." 
 
EASTHAM