Mutharika highlights DPP manifesto
Malawi’s former ruling party the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has unveiled a tweaked version of its 2005 electoral manifesto as the 2014 blueprint..
DPP Presidential hopeful Peter Mutharika made a cursory presentation of the yet to unveiled manifesto at St John’s Nursing Hall in Mzuzu on Sunday.
Mutharika was in Mzuzu to present certificates and nomination papers to DPP’s candidates in parliamentary and local government levels based in the northern region.
He publicly admitted that the 2014 campaign and electioneering is going to be tough hence there was need for its candidates to study the DPP manifesto and make it compatible to the needs of the people in their various jurisdictions.
Mutharika said DPP has again embraced food security as a fundamental concept saying for the seven years the party has led Malawi there was no hunger.
“We will continue with the subsidy programme but with a slight change in that it will be targeted and sustainable,” he said but did not elaborate.
He also said that the new DPP government will ensure that people access health services within walking distance, empower people to create wealth and provide social welfare services.
“In terms of safety and security, we will train more Police Officers and expand citizen participation in community policing services. I worried that at the moment there severe insecurity in whole towns, cities and villages,” Mutharika said.
He also said that his government will also expand the training for Judges, Magistares and Prosecutors to speed trials for people who have been on remand for years.
For the Youth, Mutharika said DPP will convert Community Day Secondary Schools into community boarding colleges fully furnished with equipment to absorb Jobless youths.
On infrastructure, he said the DPP will continue with programme of upgrading the country’s roads. For the northern region he specifically cited the Rumphi – Livingstonia road and the Rumphi – Nyika – Nthalire road.
He also touched on the Nsanje Inland port, the University at Ndata and the Hotel at the Bingu International conference centre saying there lying idle because the present government has branded them ‘Bingu’s projects’.
“It’s a pity that such projects are left to rot because they were initiated by a President you hate. If successive governments had done that with what late Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda left, what could be having now?” he queried.
However, the younger Mutharika warned the party’s supporters and members that DPP will achieve its vision if it embraces unity, desist from mudslinging, jealously, gossip.
“It is new DPP and let’s not embrace the past history, behaviour to guide us now. Let’s learn to forgive each other whenever there are misunderstandings,” he pleaded.
DPP became a ruling party by default in 2005 after its former leader Professor Bingu wa Mutharika ditched the United Democratic Front (UDF) which ushered him into power in the 2004 general elections and subsequently formed DPP.
But the party won the 2009 general elections on its own resoundingly.
