DPP courting Khumbo, Uladi: University of Malawi analyst says ruling party working under pressure

Former vice-president Khumbo Kachali is reportedly being lured to  make a return to the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) with former People’s Party (PP) vice president Uladi Mussa  also on the move to DPP, Nyasa Times understands.

DPP is in the process of strengthening its party luring some politicians and legislators to join its rank and file and that the party has made grounds to convince the two join the party they helped to establish.

Kachali could not pick calls on his mobile phone on Thursday, but at one point, a person who answered his mobile phone said the former Vice-President was in a meeting with some government officials.

MP for Mzimba Hora who dumped PP for DPP, Reverend Christopher Ngwira and is a close ally of Kachali,  said he had heard “a strong rumour” that Kachali was being persuaded to join the ruling party.

Ngwira, however, declined to comment.

Kachali resigned from President Joyce Banda’s governing People’s Party (PP) where he served as vice-president  with only few days to the May 20 Tripartite Elections.

Banda and Kachali were expelled from DPP in December 2010 for allegedly forming parallel party structures. However, the two were on record as having said their dismissal was because they refused to endorse the presidential candidature of current President  Peter Mutharika.

In April 2012, Banda ascended to the presidency in line with constitutional order after the death of former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika and picked Kachali as her Vice-President.

Banda left out Kachali as a running mate in 2014 elections and opted for Industry and Trade Minister Sosten Gwengwe- who rejoined Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and recently elected in by-elections as member of Parliament.

Kachali later rejoined PP and dumped it again this year.

He was reported to have formed Freedom Party but it has failed to hit the ground.

Meanwhile,  Mussa is said to have agreed with DPP top brass to rejoin it  after he was sacked as interim leader of PP  by its national executive committee (NEC) when he challenged Banda that her tenure of office expired on August 28 this year, and such being the case, there is a constitutional crisis within the party.

DPP top brass such as secretary general Jeffrey wa Jeffrey and  publicity secretary Francis Kasaila said they could not comment  about the development.

Kasaila said DPP is “welcoming many people who are interested to join” and would not be commenting on individual memberships.

Reacting to the developments, political analyst Ernest Thindwa based at the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College said the events unfolding shows DPPis working under pressure as different stakeholders are pushing for electoral reforms bill.

“I am beginning to  suspect that the issue is the Electoral Reforms Bill . Government would like to get support to shoot down the Electoral Reforms Bill. Whether it will work out or not thats a different matter altogether,” said Thindwa on Times Radio.

The Electoral Reforms Bills include an amendment of Section 80(2) of the Constitution and Section 96 (5) of the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Act proposing 50+1 percent majority in presidential election and an amendment of Section 81 (3) of the Constitution for swearing-in of the President and Vice-President to be done after 30 days.

Two civil society organisations—Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Centre for the Development of People (Cedep)—are also lobbying members of Parliament to boycott the proceeding if the bill is not tabled.

Meanwhile. the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) will on Thursday march to Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe and petition President Peter Mutharika over the missing Electoral Reforms Bills on Parliament’s agenda.

The quasi-religious grouping, which comprises the leadership of the Catholic Church, Protestants and Muslim, said it will present another petition to Speaker of the National Assembly Richard Msowoya to implore him to prioritise the Electoral Reforms Bills when they are presented in Parliament for debate.

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