Nankhumwa dates DPP grassroots leaders in Lhomwe belt to boost Mutharika campaign
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice-president (responsible for the South) Kondwani Nankhumwa has said Providing proper opportunities for party leaders at the district, constituency and area levels to engage in planning and strategy formulation contributes to strengthening internal party democratic processes.
“I strongly believe that building confidence in the top party leadership will depend on the willingness of the top leadership to be responsive to DPP grassroots leaders’ concerns and aspirations,” Nankhumwa told reporters on Monday, May 11, 2020 after he held two separate meetings with DPP MPs, district, constituency and area committee members in Mulanje and Phalombe – the ‘Lhomwe belt’.
He was accompanied by DPP senior regional committee members including Directors of Women and Youth, Bertha Nachuma and Yona Mlotha, respectively, and Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs, Francis Mphepo.
Nankhumwa said the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Constitutional Court to nullify the May 21, 2019 presidential election, meaning there will indeed be fresh elections on July 2.
“I met the grassroots leaders and MPs to bang heads and see how best we can carry out our campaign.
“I emphasized to them that we still maintain that His Excellency President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika never lost the last election. We believe we won the election hands down but since the DPP and UDF alliance is a democratic alliance and that we believe in the ruler of law, we will abide by what the courts say and we have accepted to participate in this election because we want them to know that we won and that we will win again,” said Nankhumwa, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
He said after hearing the various contributions and concerns, “which I will be presenting to President Mutharika for action”, he took time to encourage the leaders to ensure that registered voters in the previous election must go to verify their names and also to get new voter IDs if them.
“I informed them that it is important to vote for President Mutharika in the coming fresh election because he has proved to be the only mature leader in the country worth the mantle of the presidency.
“President Mutharika has always been the symbol of cohesion; stability and development in this country and is always cool and calm and even under very strenuous circumstances or one who never retaliates even when deliberately provoked.
“The MCP/UTM alliance has shown that it is not fit to rule this country because of their impatient conduct. They want power at all costs and have shown that they can do anything just to get power, including violence and underhand tactics. They are at the centre of promoting violence and regionalism in this country.
“Just after elections last year, MCP was at the centre of the most nepotistic attacks that this country has seen in recent times when they attacked DPP supporters and chased them from the Centre because of the perception that the party is for Lhomwes and from the Southern Region, when it is actually a national party with national representation,” said the VP.
Nankhumwa also briefed the leaders on the decision by President Mutharika to pick United Democratic Front (UDF) leader Atupele Muluzi as his running-mate in the forthcoming election, saying it is something that Malawians, particularly the youths, ought to welcome and embrace.
“It is a telling indication of the confidence that President Mutharika has in the abilit of youths of this country to deliver at the leadership stage,” he said.
Atupele, 41-years-old Minister of Energy, is on whistle stop campaign tour country wide.
On Monday on his way to Blantyre from Lilongwe, Atupele called on DPP-UDF supporters to remain calm even if provoked, emphasising that they must always remain peaceful.
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