MCP, UTM youth fight in the presence of Chakwera, Chilima, police

President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has openly condemned the fighting between Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM on in Blantyre during a presidential function.

MCP and UTM youth fought in the presence of their leaders President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima.

They fought outside Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) Office and Laboratory Complex in Blantyre as youths clad in Malawi Congress Party (MCP) tshirts and women in the party’s full attire clashed with their UTM counterparts.

The MCP dressed members destroyed UTM placards, tore UTM clothes, flags and mercilessly beaten up some of their colleagues.

This happened in full view of security personnel.

Calm has only returned after UTM secretary general, Patricia Kaliati, asked the UTM members to leave the front role where they wanted to welcome president Lazarus Chakwera and his vice Saulos Chilima, leaders of the two major political parties which formed the Tonse Alliance electoral coalition.

The MCP youth accused their UTM counterparts of singing deragatory and insulting songs against President Dr Chakwera and carrying placards glorifying their leader Dr Saulos Chilima.

But Chakwera, speaking later at a rally, said there was no need for the youth of the two parties to fight.

“We should unite. We need to love each other. What happened this morning is shameful and I condemn it. We need to respect each other,” he said.

Chakwera said there was no need to fight for seniority between the two parties, saying it was obvious as who was senior.

UTM is the second stakeholder in the now eight member Tonse Alliance after Malawi Congress Party.