Ministers Nankhumwa, Jooma, MP Chaponda launch Chonde-Mkando road project: Drum Mutharika support

Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister and  governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice-president (responsible for the South) Kondwani Nankhumwa and Minister of Transport and Public Works Ralph Jooma attended a ceremonial launch of construction project for the Chonde-Mkando tarmac road at Chonde in Senior Chief Nthiramanja area in Mulanje Southwest constituency on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.

MP for the area, Dr. George Chaponda, Senior Chief Nthiramanja and traditional chiefs from the area  also attended the event.

Nankhumwa and Jooma assured the people it is President Peter Mutharika’s directive that construction of the road starts as soon as possible to ease transport challenges that the people, especially farmers, face when transporting goods and produce.

“President Mutharika is also more than keen to see a tarmac road constructed between Chonde and Msikawanjala in Mulanje Bale constituency all the way to the Malawi-Mozambique border,” said Nankhumwa.

The politicians urged the people to register as voters in order to vote for  Mutharika  in the July 2, 2020 fresh presidential election for continued social and economic development in the area and the rest of the country.

President Mutharika is on May 7, 2020 expected to present nomination papers to the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in Blantyre following a constitutional court ruling on February 3, 2020 nullifying the May 2, 2019 presidential elections, citing “massive irregularities”.

His main opponent is Dr. Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) whose party has teamed up with UTM of Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima in an electoral alliance.

Chakwera presented his nomination papers to MEC on Wednesday, May 6, naming Dr. Chilima as his running mate.

However, despite the Chakwera-Chilima ‘challenge’, President Mutharika appears to be head and shoulders higher than his main rival because he has a satisfactory governance track record of steering the country on a path of social economic development despite facing some impossible odds, according to Emmanuel Kantwanje, an economic expert.

“He promised to be a President of the people. He promised to do things unusual and to bring a different perspective to how government is run. Mutharika’s initiated a socio-economic development revolution to uplift the socio-economic conditions of Malawians and to rescue them from biting poverty.

“There are visible results of performance by President Mutharika and the DPP government across a variety of sectors such as the health sector; the education sector; the economy as well as the provision of an array of social amenities to caution Malawians against the effects of poverty. It is therefore worth noting that this time around President Mutharika will not be like the other candidates; he will be competing based on a background of deliverance and solid performance,” he said.

It is not clear who Mutharika shall pick as his running mate. DPP recently entered into a working relationship with Atupele Muluzi’s UDF. Speculation has it that the Muluzi may be considered for the running mate position owing to the alliance.

Other possible candidates include Everton Chimulirenji, Nankhumwa, Cassim Chilumpha, Bright Msaka, Dr. Rosemary Mkandawire, Dr. Chaponda, Brown Mpinganjira and Dr. Ben Phiri, among others.

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