Analyst Chilima, Callista  resignation calls are baseless: Another one differs

A call by State-sponsored Forum for National Develpment (FND) that Vice-President Saulos Chilima and presidential adviser on safe motherhood Callista Mutharika should resign from their positions following their launch of United Transformation Movement (UTM) is baseless, according to  University of Livingstonia political analyst George Phiri.

FND – which is branded as ‘civil enterprise’ for being paid to be speaking in favour of the State –  argued that  Callista should resign for getting salary and benefits without working.

And Chilima should have resigned first before he went on to attack the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led administration.

FND chairperson  Fryson Chonzi made the calls at a news conference in Lilongwe.

But Phiri daid Chilima has clearly dissassociated himself from DPP and not his elected office.

“Chilima has freedom of association as enshrined in the Constitution. Dissassociating himself from the party has nothing to do with his officer,” Phiri said.

He said Callista’s call smacks of vendetta as she has reportedly  not been going to her office for a long time and according to State House chief of staff  Peter Mukhito, Callista’s benefits were withdrawn.

However, a  political scientist from University of Malawi, Nandin Patel, said  Chilima  should resign so that he stands on his new party than to accuse a government he belongs to.

“I was the first one to comment when Bingu formed his DPP out of UDF [United Democratic Front]. I said it was wrong and immoral. The same thing with JB [Joyce Banda],  who formed PP [People’s Party] when she was still vice-president under the DPP administration. This should not be encouraged because we elect the Vice-President alongside the President on the same ticket. They are one and the same; hence if the Veep disagrees with his own government, he must step aside. We must not make it right simply because Bingu and Joyce Banda did the same. Two wrongs do not make a right. I know this is quiet unpopular opinion going by the moments, but I maintain it,” said Patel.

Launching UTM on Saturday in Lilongwe, Chilima accused the DPP–led government of perpetuating corruption and nepotism, and saying his movement is ready to usher in the change Malawi needs.

But DPP  has dismissed Chilima’s claims, saying if there was corruption in government, Chilima would have resigned yet he has stayed on as Vice-President.