MCP brands DPP caretaker government : Faults Malawi police on death of child over teargas

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has branded the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as an “interim government” pending dispute in court relating presidential election results in the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections.

The MCP legislators were calling DPP an interim government in parliament after interim leader of opposition Lobin Lowe  raised concern of clashes between DPP youth cadets and Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) mobilised protesters.

DPP backbenchers were irked with the ‘interim government’ label and Mulanje Bale legislator, Victor Musowa, stood on a Point of Order,  to protest.

Musowa said s it was not right for the opposition legislators to be calling the DPP-led  government ‘an interim government’.

In his statement,  MCP’s Lowe  said the party was shocked by the l violence in Blantyre which  which  affected the peaceful  demonstrations and that  police action of spraying teargas even at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital  led to the death of a child and a pregnant woman collapsing after beinh choked by teargas smoke.

Human rights activist and HRDC member, Billy Mayaya, was also severely attacked by DPP cadets during the demonstrations calling for the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) Chairperson Jane Ansah.

“For the police to fire teargas right at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital is very unfortunate. A kid under five years has died because of this. It is also unfortunate that an expectant mother collapsed and Billy Mayaya was heavily wounded by DPP [cadets]. I would like the government to justify this and respond,” Lowe said.

Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi, who was accused by MCP   Deputy Whip Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda of  approaching the issue “ in a casual way,” said he will present a ministerial statement in Parliament on the violence on Thursday.