Kabwila persuades voters to tame appetite for money, materials

Firebrand politician and former Salima Northwest Parliamentarian, Jessie Kabwila, helped launch UTM party manifesto and campaign for Salima District on Friday afternoon and urged voters to usher into office UTM party presidential candidate and aspiring legislators and councillors, saying they are development conscious.

The UTM party manifesto and campaign launch for Salima follows the party’s national manifesto and campaign launch held last Saturday in Dowa District.

The manifesto and campaign launch at Kawale School in Salima North was also attended by UTM party shadow Member of Parliament (MP) for the area Duncan Zamangwe, National Executive Committee (NEC) member Samson Mithenga and other aspiring MPs and councillors from all the five constituencies in the district.

Taking to the podium, the free speaking Kabwila advised voters to tame their insatiable appetite for money and materials from politicians, saying this behavior compromises their choice for good leaders.

“As a party, we will try our best to make party materials available though we cannot guarantee that each one of you will get their share. And this should not disappoint you. Your major concern must be the need to vote for leaders who can help develop your area,” she told the huge gathering.

“See the many development deficiencies in this area and ask yourself whether your choice of the MP over the years has helped you in anyway. This must be your biggest worry. It is time to get rid of the MP and party that have stolen from you for a long time”.

Apparently, the Parliamentarian for Salima North constituency, for nearly two decades now, has been Yona Kaphantengo of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

This constituency and numerous others in the Central Region of Malawi are considered to be MCP’s strongholds with some of the party’s legislators even serving for more than two decades.

Kabwila said the incoming elections are a people’s lifetime opportunity to change things in Malawi and emphasized that such an opportunity needed to be utilized fully.

“It is high time we do away with politics of stronghold that have retarded development in our country for a long time. We, the UTM party and our leader Saulos Chilima, are set to bring the much needed change Malawi needs. So vote for us,” she appealed to the attentive crowd.

Kabwila vowed to ensure that UTM gets all parliamentary and local government seats in Salima.

Also speaking at the rally, UTM party NEC member Samson Mithenga, who is also in the campaign team for the party’s presidential candidate Chilima, concurred with Kabwila, saying the Central Region is indeed no longer a stronghold of the MCP.

“We have just launched a well articulated manifesto that will spearhead the national development agenda in addressing the various social and economic challenges Malawians are facing irrespective of where they are. We have no doubt the people of Salima will vote for us,” said Mithenga.