Kasaila differs with Mutharika on DPP funding

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesman has differed with remarks by President Peter Mutharika that he is a sole financier of the party.

An emotionally-charged Mutharika claimed on Thursday, October 8, 2015 during a news conference at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, that ge bankrolls the operations and activities of DPP and that he was its 2014 elections campaign major financier.

“I funded 2014 DPP campaign with my money and I will do the same in 2019,” said Mutharika who bragged being super rich.

But DPP spokesperson Kasaila, who is also government leader in Parliament and Minister of Transport, said the party has four sources of income: parliamentary funding, fundraising activities organised by the party, resources provided by the President of the party and resources spent by election candidates from their own incomes.

He, however, said in the local newspaper that DPP could not disclose all the information on funding because—like any other organisation—it becomes necessary sometimes to keep some information in-house for strategic purposes.

Meanwhile, Center for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) has a proposed bill to regulate political party funding that covers private funding and receipt of donations, separate bank account for private funding, registration and declaration of assets and members’ access to financial records.

Section 23 (2) of the proposed Bill reads in part: “A registered political party may, for the purposes of financing its activities, appeal for and receive donations from any individual or organisation in or outside Malawi, provided that the source of every donation, exceeding K1 million from an individual donor and K2 million from an organisation shall, within 30 days of its receipt, be declared to the registrar [of political parties] by the party concerned.”

It also stipulates that any person who uses or threatens to use force or violence, injures, damages or harms any person who donates or intends to donate any funds to a candidate, or a member of his family or any of his undertakings, commits an offence and is liable to a fine of K500 000 and imprisonment for five years.

CMD executive director Kizito Tenthani said under financing of political parties, the Bill has issues to do with public financing of political parties.