Mutharika kick-starts north tour: ‘Begs not to be deceived’
Malawi’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) 2014 presidential hopeful Peter Mutharika has kicked-off his seven day whistle-stop tours of some parts of the central and northern regions with impassioned pleas to prospective voters not to forget his face when voting time comes.
At Chulu, Chatoloma, Nkhamenya, Jenda area in Kasungu district and Lukalazi in Nkhata Bay, the 74-year-old Mutharika came in a 10 vehicle convoy dressed in a black suite and a DPP cap but without a coterie of the party’s national executive committee.
Mutharika is also expected to visit Chitipa, Karonga, Rumphi and Nkhata Bay Central Constituency.
Notable people were DPP vice President Nick Masebo, National Campaign director Bessie Chirambo, and deputy National organising Secretary Simon Vuwa Kaunda, who welcomed him at the venues.
Malawi will have tripartite elections in 2014 and so far voter registration, which has entered the six phase, has targeted some districts in the central and northern region.
So far more than two million Malawi have registered.
United Democratic Front (UDF) torch bearer, Atupele Muluzi, is also scheduled to spend a month in the northern region starting November, 4, 2013 to among other things drum up support for his party’s famous ‘agenda for change’ concept.
But at each of the rallies, the professor of law ‘threw’ the cap at the people saying “I want you to remember my face in May 2014” he said while beaming at the thousands of jostling and chanting supporters.
“Do not lie to me. Please make me President and make all the 33 MPs in the north DPP. Let’s work hard to make this realisation,” he said.
Mutharika also urged people to register enmasse and keep their registration certificates safely.
“Do not sell them for MK500 or any amount because that certificate is you key to remove a President who distributes chickens and goats and does not stay in office,” he said.
Mutharika said for DPP to triumph in 2014 there need for its supporters to unite and desist for mudslinging, gossip and killing each other.
Although he touted the whistle-stop tours as “I came so that you know me and I know you. This is not campaigning,” Mutharika also took time to outline some development projects his DPP government will do.
At Jenda, he mentioned the Jenda- Edingeni- Mzimba road, the University of Mombela.
“We will also continue the Farm Input Subsidy programme by increasing the number of beneficiaries and giving people real fertiliser and not sand,” Mutharika said.
Mutharika also paid tribute to former Mzimba paramount Chief Inkhosi Mmbelwa 1V, describing him “as a great Chief, a family to us and the DPP”
At Lukalazi, he pledged to electrify and install piped water at a girl’s hostel, which he then toured after his 20 minutes speech.
At Jenda, National Campaign director Bessie Chirambo claimed the PP government artificially created hunger by depleting maize at the National Food Reserve Agency.
“We were told that some of the maize was rotten. But nobody knows where it was dumped. But we are not surprised [because the lock is opened and the key is there] that is why there is plunder of government resources, our people are being bullied in Tanzania and Malawi now has chronic hunger,” Chirambo said.
DPP Vice President Nick Masebo said DPP promises only what it can deliver.-MEC Stringer
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