DPP-UDF mum on youth group’s lobby for electoral alliance

The governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) have opted not to comment on the letter issued by group calling itself Youth for DPP-UDF Alliance lobbying the two parties to join forces ahead of the May 21 Tripartite Elections to contest as a united front.

Both DPP spokesperson Nicholas Dausi and UDF spokesperson Ken Ndanga declined to comment on the letter dated January 30 and signed by the group’s interim chairperson Taweni Mtambo and his vice Linda Chisemphere,.

The letter is specifically addressed to President Peter Mutharika who is the DPP torchbearer  and Atupele Muluzi, who leads UDF.

The letter stresses that unity will give the two parties will give them strength and better their chances against their opponents, such as the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) which it says came close to DPP in an opinion commissioned by Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) last year. The poll pegged DPP chances of victory at 27 percent and those of MCP at 24.

“Politics, under any democratic system, is a game of numbers. Not numbers that overflow political rallies to hear manifestos and entertain themselves with free music shows, and surely not numbers of Facebook followers, likes, tweets and retweets. It is a game of numbers that show up at the polling centres and cast their votes for the leader they either love or want to give a chance to,” reads the letter in part.

Further, the letter warns that failure to strike an alliance now will be regrettable as the two parties’ chances of winning single-handedly are minimal.

“…we find it a complete lack of foresight for those that may be advising against the alliance on either side. The political landscape in Malawi has and continues to become delicate that if we continue working in isolation, we may soon face extinction from the political arena,” it adds.

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