Atupele to barnstorm Lomwe belt on Sunday: Malawi on the road to 2014
President of United Democratic Front (UDF), Atupele Muluzi, whose presidential ambition is being attacked by the ruling People’s Party (PP) because of his youthful age, is this Sunday expected conduct whistle-stop meetings in Malawi’s southern districts of Mulanje and Phalombe – dubbed Lomwe belt – where he will promote his ‘Agenda for Change’.
UDF said Muluzi will also address party supporters at a number of points.
“We will be at Chambe court ground and finally Atupele Muluzi will be at Migowi school ground in phalombe,” said UDF publicity Secretary Ken Ndanga in an interview with Nyasa Times.
Last time he stormed the Lomwe belt during the previous DPP regime, Atupele was attacked by the former ruling DPP youth cadets.
The young Muluzi was elected at the party’s convention in October last year.
But PP officials have been castigating and verbally attacking Muluzi, who is also the MP for Machinga East that he is politically immature and ineligible to contest against President Joyce Banda in 2014 tripartite elections.
However, UDF condemned the ruling party saying the attacks are made out ignorance.
“The UDF party would like to inform all Malawians that the constitution of Malawi is very clear on issues of eligibility for one to contest as presidential candidates. The framers of the constitution knew that at 35 a person is mature enough to lead the country.
“The laws of Malawi prohibit discrimination of persons in any form and guarantees equal and effective protection against discrimination on various grounds including political, ethnic or social origin,” reads the statement issued by Ndanga.
Ndanga added in the statement that “such type of politics” being promoted by PP have failed the country, which is besieged by many social-economic problems that require joint efforts to deal with them.
Muluzi, whose father Bakili led Malawi from 1994 to 2004, will, according to Ndanga, turn 35 in August this year. He quit his cabinet post last year to concentrate on rebuilding the UDF and prepare for his run for the presidency.
Muluzi’s Agenda for Change has resonated with young people who are in the majority in Malawi.
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