Kaliati says UTM strengthening as party welcomes over 200 DPP defectors

Over 200 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Friday quit the ruling party to join UTM in Chikwawa as the country sets the political campaign ahead of the Constitutional Court sanctioned fresh presidential election in July.

UTM secretary general Patricia Kaliati and other party officials  were all smiles to welcome the defectors at Miseu Folo in Ngabu, Chikhwawa.

Clad in the former party, DPP regalia, they joined their new found brothers and sisters for political song and a jive to celebrate their arrival to the new home.

Kaliati was accompanied  by a team of UTM southern region women which include the region’s women director Loyce Mponda and the director of youth in the same region Maxson Julius.

Heavy rains failed to dampen the spirits of the politically fired up DPP deffectors and thousands of other people who attended the rally.

Kaliati told the eager crowd what the Saulos Chilima administration would do for them and the country should the UTM president be voted into power in July.

“Time has come for the whole Southern region to regard UTM as a household brand. Time has come for us to do away with tribal and regional politics,  time has come for us to do away with nepotism and favoritism,” she said.

Kaliati told the people to vote for Dr  Saulos Klaus Chilima in the forthcoming presidential election, saying his priority is to improve agriculture and food production in the country.