Kaliati says Mpinganjira pussyfooting for claims youth destroying countries like Kabila in DRC: Brands BJ ‘ asylum seeker in DPP’

Outspoken secretary general of United Transformation Movement (UTM) Patricia Kaliati has hit back at Brown Mpinganjira, describing him as a political failure who is seeking an asylum in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

This follows Mpinganjira’s outbursts in an interview with TimesTV in which he said the UTM is not a threat to the DPP, saying UTM will come a distant third or fourth in the forthcoming elections.

Mpinganjira claimed during the television interview with Brian Banda  that youth leaders are destroying nations elsewhere citing Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo as a bad example of the youth leader.

“Please don’t confuse the people of this country about age. Let’s say something substantial,” he said.

He also said the government was trying all it can to wipe out corruption, saying some institutions are targeting the President, saying this is obscuring the fight against corruption.

But Kaliati laughed off Mpinganjira’s assertions, saying he has now lived out of his political life and his arguments against UTM were as senseless as his political sojourn which has taken him to the DPP where he is now an asylum seeker.

“If at all Mpinganjira was indeed wise and intelligent as he wants us to believe, his NDA [defund National Democratic Allaince]  should have been alive and kicking now. The folding up of his party, the NDA is an indication that he is a failed political leader,” she said.

Mpinganjira founded the NDA party and contested for presidency on its ticket in 2004 but lost to Bingu wa Mutharika who won on the United Democratic Front (UDF). He later on contested in 2009 presidential race as running mate to Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential candidate John Tembo.

The former Mulanje central lawmaker,  Mpinganjira o served on numerous ministerial positions)  in UDF regime and People’s Party (PP) where his final position was Minister of Information in the two years that PP ruled, joined DPP recently. He was rewarded with a post of chairperson for Roads Authority.

Kaliati said UTM, to the contrary, is amassing massive support in cities and towns as well as rural areas, saying what people want is change.

“I am always on the ground, I am up and down with my team. We get massive support in both cities and rural areas. People are tired of corruption, tribalism, nepotism, cronyism. People now want a leader who is focused and puts the country first and that leader is Saulos Chilima,” she said.

Some DPP officials have already expressed concern that Mpinganjira is behaving as if he is the founding member of the DPP or party spokesman as well as putting his former NDA stalwarts in strategic position of  the ruling party.

He is already marginalized in Mulanje Central constituency where he once served as member of parliament as the influential and powerful MP Kondwani Nankhumwa who is also a senior cabinet minister in the Mutharika administration is the favourite and the former minister has ruled himself from contesting against Nankhumwa, saying he has no chance.

Mpinganjira was stopped from distributing party materials in the constituency as he tried to form parallel structures against the established DPP structures.