It’s finished for DPP, says Mia but Mutharika paints rosy picture
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) can never bounce back to power, a former minister in the DPP government and now second vice president of ruling People’s Party (PP), Sidik Mia, has said.
Mia who was treasurer general and one of the top financiers of DPP, said the Peter Mutharika led party will never bounce back to power and Malawians should not be cheated because PP under President Joyce Banda are “moving in the right direction”.
He was commenting on claims by some DPP members that the party would come back to power in 2014.
Mia stressed that people should not be deceived that the DPP would bounce back.
“It’s finished for DPP,” he said in a telephone interview with Nyasa Timesat the weekend.
“we will deliver according to people’s expectations and President Joyce Banda would sail through in 2014 elections easily,” he said.
Mia, the Shire-Valley political kingpin said they will strengthen PP to be a national party with popularity shared across the country, saying in his political backyard – Shire-Valley – it is now declared “the home of PP”.
Mutharika ‘imposter to democrcay’
And deputy director of political affairs in PP, Ephraim Chibvunde said on Sunday that the thought of DPP bouncing back to power is a fallacy.
He told Tiuzeni Zoona programme on Zodiak Radio that the country is facing many challenges because DPP destroyed Malawi during its tenure.
Chibvunde said PP is working on the mess the DPP left during its tenure and accused Peter Mutharika for being an architect of the mess during the DPP government led by his brother, late Bingu wa Mutharika.
He accused Peter Muthatika of being an “imposter to democracy”, saying he was responsible in passing repressive laws under the DPP regime.
“We can blame Bingu but he was okay until he lost it when Peter Mutharika came in and started passing bad laws,” said Chibvunde.
He also said it is wishful thinking to assert that the DPP would bounce back to power, because it is still being led by the same Mutharika who destroyed the nation.
But DPP spokesman Nicholas Dausi said the return to power by the party was not impossible because the electorate will follow “the fundamental policy path which the DPP has.”
Said Dausi: “DPP will make a swift come back into power.”
Mutharika ‘encouraged’
Mutharika however feels confident DPP will claim back power in the next elections, saying they are rebuilding the party.
“We are trying to build the party. DPP rallies are well patronised. People are coming to those rallies,” he told a local radio Capital FM.
“The party is rebuilding. I am very encouraged,” he said.
He prides himself for making positive contribution in the government when he was a cabinet minister, saying as Minister of Education he created two universities – Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources .
Mutharika said his “most proud moment” in government is when he was responsible for creating a Council for higher education, calling “one of the significant achievement.”
“There was no body that made sure the standards are equivalent ,” the law professor said.
Mutharika also said he was instrumental for passing the National Registration bill.
“Before that we didn’t know who was a Malawians or not. I introduced that legislation,” he said.
Mutharika also said he introduced a legislation for creation of Credit Reference Bureau (CRB), saying “any economy has to have a credit system.”
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