DPP top brass hit back at UTM, say Chilima and his Movement are ‘disgruntled suspects’

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gurus on Friday took turns to attack the United Transformation Movement (UTM) and its leader Saulos Chilima, describing the movement as a grouping of ill-mannered and disgruntled suspects who have stolen the DPP manifesto ahead of Malawi’s tripartite elections next year.

DPP’s Vice President for the Northern Region Goodall Gondwe, Bright Msaka for Eastern Region, Publicity Secretary Nicholas Dausi and National Governing Council (NGC) member Samuel Tembenu  – all senior Cabinet ministers – told reporters in Lilongwe that Chilima must resign as State Vice President because he is no longer part of the team which was elected into power alongside him.

Other senior NGC members at the press conference included DPP Administrative Secretary Francis Mphepo and Henry Mussa.

Chilima left DPP to lead his UTM, blaming the party over rampart corruption in government, theft of public funds and nepotism, among other many inefficiencies.

However, he continues to serve as the country’s Vice President.

At the launch of his movement at Masintha in Lilongwe last weekend, Chilima promised to crackdown on corruption, improve the economy and create one million jobs within six months once voted into power.

“How could a person who failed to finalize public sector reforms in six months create so many jobs in the same period?” Dausi read out from a statement issued by DPP.

Gondwe chipped in, “We are urging Chilima to resign because he cannot be opposing the same government he claims he is still serving”.

“His behavior is unconstitutional and a breach of democratic principles. He could just resign honourably, otherwise his legitimacy to continue serving as Vice President has no basis and is laughable,” Tembenu scolded Chilima.

And Msaka said, “We will not be party to politics of insults as was the case with his UTM launch at Masintha, a cacophony of noise parroting our manifesto”.

According to the gurus, the DPP government is the only government which can create jobs in the country having allocated billions of kwacha to a youth internship program in this year’s budget.

There has been no immediate response from UTM.

But the movement is undeniably a huge force to reckon with ahead of Malawi’s 2019 tripartite elections having been joined by Speaker of the National Assembly Richard Msowoya and several other legislators from other political parties.

The battle line has been clearly drawn between Chilima and the DPP government with the latter even reducing security detail for the Vice President in an attempt to cripple his manoeuvres.