MCP veterans join Chakwera troops on campaign

Malawi Congress Party’s campaign has received a boost as veterans in the likes of former party president John Tembo and former speaker of parliament, Louis Chimango coming  in to  support by either holding their own rallies or joining aspirants in their constituencies.

Tembo, the outgoing Leader of Oppisition,  has taken his own initiative to campaign for aspirants and president Lazarous Chakwera in Dedza while Louis Chimango joined the Director of Campaign Felix Elia Jumbe in Salima Central Constituency over the weekend.

“As a party, we understand that we cannot stand alone, we need the former leadership to provide guidance and support, institutional memory is very important if we are to stay on course. These people are rich in political experience as well as governance and operationalization,” said Jumbe.

Chimango at Jumbe's rally
Chimango at Jumbe’s rally

“You can see, here with me today is Hon Louis Chimango, former speaker of the national assembly, he was also a minister of finance at one time and he is a legal practitioner. A unique blend of expertise coupled with years of experience. These people held the party all the 20 years it’s been out of power and it is their wisdom that we want to tap into,” he added.

Chimango and Jumbe held three meetings on Sunday in Salima Central Constituency where the latter is campaigning for a parliamentary seat. They met party members at Kaphatenga trading centre and then at Kambwiri School before proceeding for a public rally at Tchuwa primary school.

People of T.A. Kalonga, Senior Group Village Headman Mkhukhi were taken by surprise with the coming of Chimango as the rally was publicized as a constituency campaign rally for Jumbe and the constituency committee.

Chimango himself did not address the mass rally but was honoured by the Gule Wamkulu with a special song.

Tchuwa, being a farming community, an area where the old MCP regime established farming schemes under Chinguluwe EPA, the two had a warm welcome as Jumbe is taken as the only candidate closer to the farmers from his days as president of the Farmers Union of Malawi.

In his speech, Jumbe declared war against Farm Input Subsidy Program favouring a targeted farmer’s club system of input distribution that will also enable those who can’t afford universal subsidy prices to get inputs on loan.

“The only way we can get out of this poverty trap is if we change from fighting poverty and concentrate on wealth creation, change from farming for food security and think about mass production for commercial use.

“The climate, physical features and natural resources in Salima can facilitate in making our district into a city, look at the tourism industry, farming in both crop and animal husbandry, fishing and extractive industry, we can graduate into a city in a very short time only if we work hard and be productive in our sectors,” explained Jumbe.

In his words, Jumbe said, “Chiefs need to move away from political lines and mobilise their people into Village Development Committees with sub-committee in Education, Health, Agriculture, Public Works and other sectors so that development should be initiated under these committee, thus decentralization.

“In that way no Member of Parliament, Councillor or staff of the District Assembly will dictate what the area requires under Local Development Fund or Constituency Development Fund, we will be able to cut misuse of public funds as no one will create a bogus project with active Area Development Committees in place.”

He states that he dreams of Salima City in a matter of 14 to 20 years if productivity changes in the district.jumbe felix

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