Chilima opens up on UTM funding, upbeat on victory

UTM Party presidential contender Saulos Chilima claims good will from change craving Malawians is the springboard of the party’s financial glory which has seen the newest party compete favorably on electoral campaign financing.

Chilima, who started politics in early 1990’s at Chancellor College, reiterated that he is 101 percent sure he will become the next State President after the May 21 elections. “Za plan B mukawafunse enawo, ife tinabwera pano kudzawina zisankho, dziko lofunika kukonza ili.” (about plan B, you should be asking those that are not going to make it, we are contesting to win – this country needs to be fixed.”)

Chilima highlighted that he will continue public reforms which he said were deprived of political will after the Reforms Commission was removed from his office and relocated to the Office of the President and Cabinet.

The 46-year-old economist has assured Malawians that all who are contributing to the party’s campaign funding have no chance of favours in return once he gets into power.

“We are a group, it’s not just me. We have people in the party who are business people and they sacrifice their resources. We have friends outside the party who are not into active politics but subscribe to our cause and they assist the party,” he explained.

“We buy party materials when we get contributions from our members. Others voluntarily bring UTM branded materials like clothes, posters while others pay filling stations for us to refuel party vehicles.

“We organize fundraising events and a month or two ago we advertised our (party) bank details for well-wishers to send money through,” said the visibly calm but determined Chilima.

When asked on what he would give to those who may have expectations should he get voted in power, Chilima said; “Those who may be expecting something in return after assisting the party have dialed a wrong number. That will never happen,” he emphasized.

Chilima explained that his move to start a political party emanated from disgruntlement among some youth within the party who felt the Vice President was not being treated well, leading to a petition and the subsequent open sentiments by Callista Chapola Mutharika who proposed Chilima’s candidacy.

“What culminated into Madame Mutharika’s sentiments was a petition that was written by some of the DPP youth……and some of these discussions were being made on a social media platform – whatsapp group.  Early in 2018, I think people started having more and more of the impression that I was being sidelined from certain state functions. I was not speaking at presidential functions,” recounted Chilima.

“This is what the petition said, it’s in black and white and this petition was taken by the Secretary General and gave it to the President, I don’t know whether it was responded to but there were complaints that I was being sidelined,” Chilima explained this in a Rainbow Television talk show dubbed “Face the Nation” in which he hinted that the petition had some truths.

The former first lady’s pronouncements triggered the formation of a faction, within the DPP then known as Chilima Movement, which championed the idea of Chilima’s presidential candidacy but the Vice President resigned from the party ahead of the DPP convention which re-elected the incumbent President to be its 2019 torch bearer.

In less than a year before the election, Chilima’s UTM has established political structures countrywide and gained momentum to challenge Mutharika’s DPP in the May 21st elections, promising to create one million jobs in the first year.

In the interview, Chilima stressed that his party will scrape off Presidential immunity which shield seating presidents from prosecution, saying this will be an integral move to deal with corruption and abuse of power by State Presidents and their cronies.

His campaign is premised on, among others, the promise to stump out corruption, saying his government will give a 30 day amnesty to those who obtained wealth through corrupt means before prosecution commences on the 31st day.

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