Atupele campaigns at Jenda: Condemns violence, says Malawi govt abolished quota system 

President Peter Mutharika’s running mate in the court sanctioned presidential election, Atupele Muluzi on Saturday morning took  the DPP-UDF alliance campaign to Jenda trading centre in Mzimba where he has bemoaned continued acts of political violence perpetrated by youths.

He condemned those involved in perpetuating political violence, saying political leaders are free to engage the electorate every corner of the country and  that the  barbaric behaviour of stopping others to address rallies cannot be tolerated in a democratic dispensation.

“The youth should avoid being radicalised to commit political violence because when the law catches up with you, only yourself will suffer while your bosses live in comfort,” he said flanked by  DPP treasurer general Jappie Mhango.

He urged leaders of different political parties to take responsibility for their supporters and ensure that whoever instigates violence should face disciplinary action.

The DPP-UDF alliance running said political violence breeds political instability and should not be allowed.

Atupele himself was a victim of political violence last weke Saturday when irate Mponela residents in Dowa burnt tyres on the road, blocking his whistle stop tour to Kasungu en-route to the Northern Region.

The country last week also witnessed attacks on Tonse Alliance members in Liwonde and Phalombe where some private media personnel covering the campaign trail were injured after their vehicle was smashed.

And  on Friday State Vice-President and Tonse Alliance running mate Saulos Chilima was  forced to call off his scheduled whistle-stop tours in Machinga, where Atupele comes from.

In his speech, Atupele said freedom fighters like pro-democrcay hero late Thom Chakufwa Chihana did not use violence in their quest to liberate Malawi.

He stressed his appeal to the youth to refrain from  being used by politicians to cause havoc.

Atupele also  described as pure theft the K9.7 billion lawyers for the opposition political parties in the election case are demanding as legal fees in the election case.

He said the opposition leaders; Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima should  pay the legal fees from their pockets as the show of the love of their country.

“It is immoral to demand such a huge amount of money from the public purse when the government has a lot of services to provide to the poor people,” he said.

He also told the people that the DPP/UDF led government would still construct Mombera University in Mzimba.

“It took eight years to construct Chancellor College. We cannot therefore expect that Mombera could be completed in a year,” he said.

Atupele also said the DPP government abolished the education quota s of selecting students into public universities which was a thorny issue in the North.

He said quota system was  abolished to give chance to deserving students who fail to access tertiary education because of the system.

The DPP-UDF alliance running mate will hold a rally at Mzimba boma and the Tonse Alliance team in the north, led by CFT Commander in Chief Timothy Mtambo was also supposed to hold  a meeting at the same venue.

The CFT rally has since been shifted to Sunday, June 7 2020.

“The change has been preferred after DPP/UDF alliance deliberately planned to have a similar event at the same venue despite being made aware that CFT and Tonse Alliance partners had already booked the venue,” Mtambo said.

Instead, Mtambo said the CFT and Tonse Alliance partners will hold a series of adhoc whistle Stop rallies in Mzuzu City.

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