Activist wants city councils to get back money from DPP

A civil rights activist has told Mzuzu and Blantyre City councils to get back K8.5 million the councils have donated to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Mzuzu City Council reportedly donated K3.5 million while Blantyre City Assembly donated K5 million to a blue night held at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Saturday.

Sources say the Blantyre City Council sent a cheque worth K2.5 million but the party sent back the cheque saying the money was peanuts, forcing the assembly to write a K5 million cheque.

But Unandi Banda, executive director of National Elections Systems Trust (NEST) said this was tantamount to rigging ahead of the 2019 general election.

“If the councils want, let them sponsor all political parties in the country but we cannot allow the councils to be partisan in a democratic dispensation,” said Banda.

He therefore asked the councils to get back the money and apologise to Malawians for abusing their resources.

“If the council officials ate the DPP food, let them vomit the food and give us our money back,” said Banda.

The DPP manifesto clearly states that when in power, the party would make a red line between government and party activities.

The DPP also forced the Lilongwe Water Board to donate another K5 million to last year’s blue night and the water board was forced to donate to First Lady’s Beautify Malawi initiative.