MCP MP Karim brands UTM as ‘DPP number 2’

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) deputy Director of Research Iryas Karim has hit at United Transformation Movement (UTM), saying its leader Saulos Klaus Chilima has no moral grounds to talk ill of government at the moment because movement is a splinter group of  ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Karim: Don’t trust UTM
Karim with Mia during the rallies

Karim, who is Member of Parliament for Chikwawa South, made the remarks at Linga Ground in Chikwawa Mkombezi constituency on Saturday when he supported whistle stop tours made by Madam Abida Mia, wife to MCP Vice-president Sidik Mia.

“The whole leadership in UTM is a rebellion of people from the DPP and share the guilt that Chilima is trying to expose,” Karim said. “They are the same people.”

He also attacked UTM’s campaign that once voted into government it will abolish the quota system on university and college selection process.

“Where was Chilima to come out now and talk about the quota system. He is vice-president and he should have acted on it when he was with the DPP.”

Two senior MCP officials collaborated with Karim, saying the party already made its strong stance on quota system in 2014 and it is still against the quota system.

The officials said whatever Chilima is speaking now are totally lies because he is still in government.

Karim further told the people to be confident because it is only MCP which is geared to win the 2019 tripartite general elections.

He said the reason why people should be confident of MCP’s triumph is that Malawians are tired with DPP’s style of leadership.

The legislator  gave an example of the falling standards of health services in country’s major hospitals, alleging: “Mothers are asked to bring their own basins, razor blades, cotton threads and even candles when they are going for child delivery.

“This is pathetic and MCP shall endevour to end all this in the shortest period possible once elected into Government,” he said.

Karim said MCP is the only party with solid structures and is the only party with a president who has clean hands in Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.

“We have areas branches, strong constituency structures and almost everything including national party headquarters in Lilongwe, regional and district offices countrywide. These other parties briefcase offices.”

He said anyone can do background check but Chakwera is clean.

A survey that the pan-African research network, Afrobarometer, conducted between December 2016 and January 2017 rated MCP presidential candidate highly in terms of respondents’ voting intentions or choices.

Afrobarometer conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions and related issues in African countries and the 2016/2017 survey is the 7th round of surveys since 1999.

The results disseminated in Lilongwe indicate that when asked which presidential candidate they would vote for if the presidential elections were held at the time of the survey, 32 percent picked the MCP candidate.

The ruling DPP presidential candidate Arthur Peter Mutharika scored 26 percent while United Democratic Front (UDF) and People’s Party (PP) candidates moved the minds of 11 percent seven percent of the respondents, respectively.

Eight percent of the respondents said they would not vote and 13 percent did not know or refused to answer.

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Arnold Malasha
Arnold Malasha
5 years ago

True Bro MCP is the party geared to win 2019 and it will win,MCP was always winning but the government they were always rigging….that was the time, this time around no rigging come 2019 MCP boma

pumbwa
pumbwa
5 years ago

UTM full of disgruntled, Mostly of u members served this government of DPP. Can you tell us what change have you bought for the better Malawian: You reject important bills: ATI(cuddles to opposion block then) ACB, 51 + 1 bills etc, if you are for the change this was the time, Remember Henry Phoya with the draconium bill. u call a spade by it name when you are within. Corruption and quarter system you(UTM) sing today would have been over. Vice president manned Reform, nothing we heard of these two. Most of you guy in UTM are involved in different… Read more »

santana
santana
5 years ago

Chilima and his cousin Callista thinks Malawians are a bunch of dunderheads. Chilima should say the truth that he parted with APM because he was not given what he was promised, whether runningmate or presidential candidate for DPP. He should stop telling us lies that he is out coz the govt is too corrupt. Why then is he receiving salary from the same corrupt govt? If he is sympathetic with Malawians let him not receive tax payers money. The man and his cousin are just power hungry.

Mbuya
Mbuya
5 years ago

You have all structures and yet in opposition for 21 years?

Nick
Nick
5 years ago

Unfortunate that the Afrobarometer survey was too early to included Chilima’s new party. Also a pity that this article did not address the basic issue in its own title. Is UTM just a branch of the old DPP? Can it claim to be a really new reform party?

Make Malawi Great
Make Malawi Great
5 years ago
Reply to  Nick

its a movement not a party the agenda is change-transformation leadership and corrupt free mlw. Welcomes anyone regardless of their party background as long as they share their vision mission and respect the core values it will welcome u onboard as people fighting the same wars. hope that answers a bit.

Nick
Nick
5 years ago
Reply to  Nick

—bearing in mind that UTM’s chairman is Noel Masangwi of DPP’s national executive and No 8 in the Chasowa Commission of Enquiry’ s list of possible suspects for the murder of Robert Chasowa.

Nsampha
Nsampha
5 years ago

That is well said. As MCP we saw long time ago that DPP is corrupt and we need not to be told today. That was before Chilima hoined DPP. All the evils he saying we saw them 7 years ago. Malawians wake up! This man will is a joke. He is in Government and cannot act issues. If he cannot then what is he doing in Government? Why are we paying him his salary? What a shame…

Keen Observer
Keen Observer
5 years ago
Reply to  Nsampha

It’s because majority of the voters gave him the mandate to be where he is & MCP was there on the ballot but unfortunately people didn’t like it. Now MCP is finished with the coming in of UTM. And after LL MCP how many times has it tried to bounce back????

Make Malawi Great
Make Malawi Great
5 years ago
Reply to  Nsampha

can you act against ur boss in a company? ur strings get tired bro! the poss IG the ACB director are presidential not Veep appointee and guess who they are royal to? you can vote for ur MCP but that wont stop us from voting to who we believe can bring change we have seen his works buddy. He youthful than these leaders who wait for CSOs to start pressure, they side with everyone on 4 billion then change tune after press seems like leader of opposition lost his job description. I personally can vote for a two faced leader.… Read more »

dumerang
dumerang
5 years ago

To us whether Chilima is DPP 2 or not What matters is the leadership or character of the leader. To me Chilima looks to have the stamina to lead this country. Of course Chakwela is my second choice. which party leads me doesn’t matter really. Oooook

LEGO
5 years ago

The biggest problem is us Malawians because we tends to be carried away with everything.The suffering we are facing now is because of this guy Chilima.He has been there for almost 5 years as a Second In Command but what did he do to us nothing.Did he ever condemn the Nepotism,Corruption,Quota System etc before he fell out of DPP?The only party has been talking about these were MCP now because he has been robbed what he was promised that he will be the next president or the torch bearer of DPP come 2019 he want to fool us as if… Read more »

Make Malawi Great
Make Malawi Great
5 years ago
Reply to  LEGO

How was Chilima would have ended your sufferings? The ACB the Police are all APM loyalist? The veep is powerless position! if he had resigned this pressure political Atmosphere wouldn’t been developed these theives stealing at escom would have even worse brought the whole country to its lights kneezes cz they shameless daylight stealing your basic right. He was working at airtel as a CEO he didnt economics not IT nor was he working in an IT dept. if your mind be thinking he aided APM to steal votes. He was brought to dpp for popularity as MR Money. He… Read more »

Kanganiwamba
Kanganiwamba
5 years ago

They are indeed a bunch of rebellious DPP subjects. If Chilima was given the opportunity to be the DPP president as he wanted, would he be saying all these dirty things about his party? We are confronted with disgruntled opportunists here who just want power at all cost.

Maunits
Maunits
5 years ago

Zoona zokhazokha

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