3 factions emerge in MCP over UTM alliance

February 29, 2020 Kapote Mwakikunga - Nyasa Times 58 Comments

Cracks are emerging in the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) over an electoral alliance with UTM Party which has opened multiple fronts, seriously threatening the existence of country’s oldest party.

Chakwera with his deputy Sidik Mia as well as UTM president Saulos Chilima : Alliance woes

On Friday, MCP national executive committee met in Lilongwe where tempers flared and the divisions deepened over the issue.

On the agenda was the alliance with UTM, particularly who should be the presidential candidate for the alliance between MCP president Lazarus Chakwera and UTM presidential hopeful Sales Chilima.

Veterans’ faction

At the meeting, veterans of the party strongly dismissed any suggestions of Chilima representing the alliance as torchbearer.

“They were angry and they put their foot down. According to them, having Chilima as presidential candidate will spell the end of MCP and they have vowed they won’t allow it at any cost,” said a NEC official who was at the meeting.

According the source, the veterans accused Chilima of being a betrayer, cunning, over-ambitious and untrustworthy.

“They said DPP picked him, trusted him with the vice presidency and within the first term he ended up plotting to remove President Mutharika and take over DPP. They said if he becomes president he would annihilate MCP,” revealed the NEC official.

Kasungu faction

On the other side of the ring was the Kasungu faction – also known as Kamuzu family faction –  which includes the likes of Ken Kandodo a blood relation of country’s founding President Ngati Kamuzu Banda.

This faction also stood by their earlier stand that Chilima should be torch bearer for the alliance.

They argued that the alliance had more realistic chances of winning the election with Chilima leading as he is more popular than  Chakwera.

But the Kasungu faction is rooting for Chilima with the ulterior motive to disengage MCP from the stranglehold of Chakwera and his Lilongwe gang, according to other sources.

Nearly half of MCP top NEC positions are occupied by people from Lilongwe, to the dissatisfaction of the Kasungu faction which feels that they are rightful heirs to the leadership of MCP which was ‘owned’ by their own patriarch, Kamuzu Banda.

Mia factor

At the meeting first deputy president for MCP, Sidik Mia emerged as another divisive figure.

As the meeting started, it was discovered that he had been sidelined from attending. It is not clear why he was sidelined.

Another section of the NEC protested his absence and demanded that he should be present. He came in later.

Mia has been key to MCP since he joined the party in 2017. He is one of the party’s chief financiers.

But also, he has his own solid constituency in the party as more than half of NEC officials were brought in by him from People’s Party where he was a senior member before he quit in 2014.

His deputy presidency complicates the issue of running mate even further.

The constitution of MCP says the deputy president shall be the automatic running mate. This relegates Chilima on the pecking order.

However, the NEC turned knife on Mia as it resolved that Chakwera should pick Chilima as running mate.

This opens another battle front for the protection of MCP constitution should Chakwera opt to pick a runningmate outside the party.

There are now fears that Mia will react brutally — legally or otherwise — after all he has sacrificed for the sake of the party.

UTM confusion

While MCP is rocked by divisions over the alliance, UTM is also on the brink as its top officials and ordinary members are against the alliance.

They are giving two reasons:

One; they have been clear in public domain that they will accept the alliance only on one condition that Chilima is presidential candidate. It is either this or no alliance will happen.

They have even threatened that they will not vote or will join DPP if Chilima is not presidential candidate for that alliance.

Two; some top officials are bluntly refusing any alliance with MCP whatever the condition. At one of their NEC meetings last week, UTM Secretary General Patricia Kaliati told Chilima that MCP will kill him once they get into power as an alliance.

Not a compatible pair

Analysts say that MCP and UTM are ideologically and practically not compatible such that an alliance between them would be a forced marriage which will never last.

They say the alliance is being forced on them by the Constitutional Court judges who made a ruling in the election case that suggested to the two parties to pair up for the sake of unseating DPP from power.

Chilima himself has raised serious questions about the alliance.

At a rally in Lilongwe last Sunday, he said; “Kuchita mgwirizano mkosavuta koma nkhani ndiyakuti kodi mumgwirizanomo tikagwirizanamo?”

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58 replies on “3 factions emerge in MCP over UTM alliance”

  1. zayambika ife tinanena kuti awa sangamvane lero mukumusiya mia why? he helped mcp alot lero akagwele skhameeeeeeeeeeeeeeee if u cant agree now what will happen if u start govening???

  4. kodi zilizonse mungoti cadet . muzipeleka mwayi kumva maganizo a nzanu, with this kind of mentality you can not have a change . you are bent on character assasination

  6. All these stupid things aside, MCP/UTM Alliance is a non starter. Whether you like it or not, this cannot happen. Chilima would better be a good partner to DPP if he was cool enough but he has High Blood Pressure and is not able to control his temper. Taking advantage of this forum, let me blame the Donors who are in the fore front making us fight for presidential positions and coming with assurances that they will fund the presidential election. If these people are good enough and that they wish us Malawians well, they would have funded the first Tripartite election which was conducted in May 2019. They did not do this because they saw nothing to benefit them. They are coming in today, because they want us to fight so that they can penetrate us and have their gains easily. If they are indeed genuine sympathizers, why are they not funding us with the hunger that is rampant in our country? Malawians should open their eyes. These are not good people.

    2. THESE TWO SHOULD STAND OWN THEIR OWN LIKE IN 2019, THET TOP TWO WILL RUN OFF AFTER THE 19-MAY-20 ELCTIONS, MARK MY WORDS!!

  7. Verse 2. Ndipo mcadeti adzaponjoka njoka yolusa pakati pagulu.
    Verse 3. Ndipo okambilana zamgwrizanowo adzadzadzidwa ndimatha, nayamba kulozana zala kuti chilombocho Chadza ndimodzi wayiwo.
    Verse 4. Ndipo mcadeti adzayima pachulu nadzitama “tawonani ndayambitsa chipwilikiti, ndipo mbuyanga adzasankhidwa moposa theka la osankha udindo.
    Verse 5. Koma ofuna kugwiriza aja mmodzi mwayiwo adzapemphera kwambiri kotero chilombo chija chidzabwerera kwa oyipayo namuluma nafera pomwepo. Ndipo Mzakazi wa oyipayo adzananjenjemera ndimatha chifukwa Adza zindikira kuti sazatha kupeza theka chifukwa mcadeti waphedwa ndi chilombo chake chomwe pomwe ama panga upo.

  8. During the the second World war the entire world united against a common enemy -Nazi of Germany. The coordination was so great n strong that the eastern front, which was seen as the most crucial point in determining whether the Germans would win the war or not, was well supported by the allies spearheaded by USA.

    However soon after the collapse of German, new hostilities emerged between Soviet Union and her war times allies of France, Britain and the GIANT USA. Bone of contention was their differences in their ideological concept of governance. The western countries advocated for CAPITALISM (the winner takes all) while the USSR preferred COMMUNISM (from each according to his ability to each according to his needs)

    Their differences was so strong that the world was divided into two and the threat of another war became so imminent.

    Now coming to the relevance of this history to our present situation is simple, MCP and UTM are two parties who are facing a common enemy – DPP but their ideologies are very different. This means that their alliances is doomed to collapse once they achieve their desired plans.

    It is not an alliance forged to help Malawians as is it being propagated, rather it is merely a ticket to earn the most powerful position on the land as such the development will stagnate as the infighting will cripple the developmental machineries as hatred and mistrust will reign supreme

  9. UTM and MCP should strengthen their PR teams. Nowadays the biggest weapon in a battle is MEDIA. You see how DPP propaganda is working?
    And you Nyasa times please don’t give platform to biased reporting. Most of us living in diaspora don’t want to read this shit. We really want to see Malawi move forward so that we can come and invest back home

  11. I am not MCP that is why the writer duped me to read this nonsense believing it’s true. When he brought in UTM I know this is a crooked piece. All UTM members to my knowledge, I am one of them, are for the alliance and we are impatient to get into it.

  12. Forsake we saw it at a distance that UTM and mcp it’s like mixing water and parafin which is impossible. Mcp will remain in opposition forever even if Chilima wins . DPP will continue to rule

  13. We have been saying all along that it’s all about: “what’s in for me?”. Positions first, people second. An alliance that has failed before it can begin.

  16. Why should our UTM party be swallowing by MCP? For what reason? I as a stronger supporter of UTM scan and will not encourage our leader to pair with the Party of darkness and death . After all we are not in a hurry to be in government. MCP just want to use our leader to ascend to power and later dump him . Infact our leader asked a question kuti “ Kodi mu mgwirizanomo tikagwirizanamo?” That’s whet he asked ku masintha last week . Mr SKC please hear advice from the grassroots. MCP will kill you or dump you . Don’t trust chakwera. The fact that you combined your petition to nullify the May elections does not mean you share political ideologies with MCP. If they approach you for discussion please ask them why they need you.You are a Vice President of the state so you have nothing to lose even if you lose the election . MCP will have a lot to lose but a lot to gain by hiding behind you. Let’s go it alone as UTM party so that we grow

  17. Kapenga the author of this story has been paid to tell pipo lies as he has done here,
    He has been paid if an lying unene,sometimes learn to report the way u were taught at school not this type of shit

  19. The whole writing sounds like was written by idiot! In all this stuff, Im failing to find the character of Chakwera so this null and void. Bring another one!

  20. Cadetish writing. Paja akupatsani ndalama zakuti muzilemba ma propaganda?

    Malawians of food will, are in millions and will not sit down and go by what you Cadets write on social media.

    We trust Zodiak and Times and only news outlets which feed Malawians with facts and truth.

    There are no divisions in MCP. Neither are thre divisions in UTM.

    Musova

  21. Politics is a game of numbers so with the large followers the the oldest party commands by default Chakwera and Chilima are Presidential Candidate and running mate respectively. Chilima seems to be intelligence so must understand our political dynamics and history.Surely, Chilima must have learnt the political mistakes that late Chakufwa Chihana and his AFORD made prior to 1994 General Elections.This fresh election is for the Opposition alliance (MCP + UTM) to lose.

  22. Chakwera for president. Mia for vice president. Without Tippex MCP will win it all. MCP doesn’t need power hungry Chilima. UTM apange zao.

  23. Nkhani zinazi akumalemba ndi a Mvundula madzi. Mpofunika kukhala maso. If you are not clever, akudanitsani musanayambane inu a MCP ndi a UTM. Tidikira kuti timve from the horse’s mouth.

  24. Never, MCP will never be divided. You’re just spending your money with these useless propaganda.
    Sitinati, mulira kuti tontooo.
    Viva mcp Viva utm

  25. MCP and UTM must not play games otherwise Malawians will never forgive should the bickering present an opportunity for DPP to triumph. You guys must think National.
    As for the so-called Kasungu faction, please note that MCP is a National and not a Family party

  26. Cadet at it again, a clear sign that DPP are spending sleepless nights at the prospect of an MCP UTM alliance……Get over it, the alliance is real and its coming with a bang in the next few days.

    I was there at the meeting on Friday and there were no factions as this article is trying to portray…..in every deliberations there are always different views and that is welcomed and that is what is called democracy. However the most important thing is that after deliberating a consensus is reached.

    The talks with UTM have not started in earnest, however the general consensus in the Friday meeting was that there are big similarities between what MCP and UTM want to see happening in Malawi like, the total eradication of corruption and nepotism, creation of jobs for everyone, fair distribution of developments across the country and not just in the south, poverty eradication, respect of rule of law, reducing presidential powers, ending power outages and shortage of medicine in our hospitals just to mention a few….. It therefore does not really matter who leads the alliance, however it is obvious that the torch bearer in the upcoming election will have to come from the biggest party of the alliance, this is common sense.

    Chilima will be the running mate out of respect since he is already the Vice President otherwise he would have been the second Vice President to mr Mia.

    Mr Mia is a humble man and has already accepted that he will be the second Vice President to Chilima in the national interest of our country.

    The salary and benefits of the Vice President and the second Vice President are the same so no issues there…….having said that, it is important to mention that both Chilima and Mia did not join politics for the money so stop portraying mr Mia as a power hungry man.

    MCP can not dump mr Mia if anything it will be mr Mia himself who will dump MCP if these kind of articles gets to his head….but MCP has full confidence in mr Mia that he will do everything possible to make sure that the MCP UTM alliance works….

    2. Be honest. Which cadet? Accept that the negotiations are not going well between MCP and UTM. It is this type of attitude that is bringing problems.

  28. Shameless Cadet Kapote tiye nayo propaganda yakoyo you will be disappointed in the end with that so called reunion of DPP & UDF. Reunion that has no value & cant even get 45% of the total votes no matter what.

  31. Differences will always be there but unity is inevitable especially when you face a terrorizing enemy like DPP. I am sure the MCP differences will be sorted out and that’s what shapes our political future. Chakwera qualifies as a torchbearer in this case and let’s move forward. I personally love and respect honorable Mia who should certainly be awarded with a clearcut decisive position in the alliance and that’s my position. Chilima is a charismatic leader who should equally be part of the new government structure. He is leading a strong party and I am sure as a running mate the team will finally emerge strong. Come what may change is inevitable!

  32. Confusion, its not all who wants Chilima to be president, who can be forced to like Chakwera. E.g South gave Chilima better votes while seriously rejected Chakwera, tha means now they will b open to anyone or not to vote

  35. Wasting time on this. Mcp should go it alone. Laz/Mia to lead. We don’t need utm or Chilima. The Kazombo faction is very stupid. Laz beat Chilima on rigged elections but also mcp comprehensively beat utm on MPs. These Kazombo people should join utm but they should remember that they became MPs under the mcp ticket.

    Chilima is overrated as indeed the election results albeit rigged, show. With Lower shire behind mcp, Laz will win decisively beating both Chilima and Peter. The biggest mistake Laz or mcp can make is to kick out Mia. Mia can also attract the Muslim population in Mangochi, mschinga, balaka etc as he is much more a practicing Muslim than Atupele.

    If an alliance is formed with utm, then Laz should lead, Mia second and Chilima third. Chilima can be given a second Vice President post.

    Dpp is watching very carefully and in fact doesn’t want the alliance to succeed. Also will be mocking mcp for say giving the alliance leadership to Chilima.

    Chilima can’t win on his own but at the same time we don’t want him to lead the alliance or indeed mcp through the back door. Laz can win on his own with Mia as running mate.

  36. In my opinion, MCP & UTM should ask themselves what their goal is and what they would like to achieve in the alliance. The problem I have noted is that both Chakwera and Chilima want to be president. If they have the welfare of Malawians, put aside anything to do with positions and power and work together towards a common goal. Otherwise, those who have been saying Chakwera and Chilima are power-hungry will be proved right. Time is of the essence here. Kaya zanu izo, ife tikufuna kudzakuvoterani koma zibwana and your greed for power zikutipatsa ulesi ndi chikaiko ngatidi mudzatisunge. Dzana a Chilima mwayankhula kuti it’s not power you want, whether you’d be a torch-bearer or not, you are for the alliance. Now, what is all this fuss about torch bearer? Aim for a common goal! Your supporters MUST be told that once you decide to go solo, you are increasing the chances for the DPP-UDF alliance victory so tisadzamve kuti mwapita ku court ayi poti mukufuna nokha because “failing to prepare is preparing to fail!”

  38. Alliance ya mipeni kumphasa. Before 21 may utm formed alliance with peoples party only to break up two days later. People’s party went in bed with mcp and now utm wants to join the two. And skc is known for rebellion even now he’s sued his boss apm for VP benefits. Chilima Ali ndi mtima wa ndiolose ndikakutafune Abusa chakwera better tread carefully

  43. May God help this country through this time. Chilima zimenezi ask for divine intervention ndithu. The same be for Chakwera.

  46. Thanks for the post and very detailed analysis of what transpired in the situation rooms.. my take on this, is that they are all sinking and DPP will carry the day..they seem to have a lot of baggage to clear before the elections….Missed opportunity because of egos and mistrusts…

  48. Iwe Kapote we know you are a DPP cadet being used through this paper to spread cheap propaganda. Just onow that your propaganda won’t work and you’re just wasting time. Atleast we know you now so we know how to deal with you once your gogo has been dispatched to Ndata 2 in May

    1. MCP/UTM Ganizani ndithu Za alliance kuti muphule a Malawi kunganjo ya moto yomwe akukumana nayo pa nthawi inu Musa bite zadyera ayi ndipo a Chakwera atsogolere ndipo osatira a Chilima ngati Vice wawo pomwe a Mia atha kukhala Second VP. A Chilima asawasokoneze anthu ngati Nsungama omwe sakuona zakunja ndi omwe akuganiza kuti antha kuwina paokha ngakhalenso ena a MCP omwe akuganiza mozikonda kuganiza kuti atha kuwina a MCP paokha. Kafukufuku akuonetseratu kuti chisankho sichingawinidwe poima paokha koma mgwirizano ukufunika. Tsono a MCP/UTM mukutaya nthawi poyamba zokambirana pano pomwe munayenera kuchita izi nthawi yomwe mulandu unali nkhothi pano mulibe nthawi chifukwa kwatsala masiku ochepa mwezi wa March ndi April ndiye muchotse masiku okambirana pomwe amzanu amaliza akuchita kampeni, akukonza zipangizo Za Kampeni pomwe inu simunati. A Malawi maso ndi chikhulupiliro chinali pa inu koma mwanyamba kuwakhumudwitsa kwambiri chifukwa tsopano akuona ngati simuganiza bwino ndipo mupweteketsa anthu ambiri omwe abazipereka poyera kukhala mbali yanu ndipo omwe akufuna kuti Malawi akhale wabwino monga ma Judge, HRDC, a mipingo, asilikali ma activist. Anthu sakufuna ulamuliro osiyirana mabanja ngati Mutharika ndi Muluzi pomwe Dziko ili muli anthu othekera kulamulira ambiri. Izi akuchita chifukwa cha dyera lawo ndikuba basi pofuna kuimirana kumbuyo a Malawi akusauka. A Malawi tisalore izi. Tsono ngakhale inu a MCP/UTM ngati simugalowe m’boma nanu muzavutika kwambiri ngati simusamala chifukwa chadyera lanu ndithu muzaona zinthu ndipo a A Malawi adzakukwiyirani zedi. Ngati simugwirizani anthunso azagwa mphwayi posavota ndiye ena akadzadutsa inu mudzankhala onong’oneza bondo chifukwa chosamva kwanu ndidyera nkhalani anthu okonda Dziko ndi a A Malawi omwe alunjika maso pa inu ndithu osati dyera lanu. Mau awa akufikireni ndithu chifukwa kupanda kutero muli mumavuto ndipo a Malawi adzankhala mumavuto. Zikomo ndi Amen.

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