Mutharika says voters will regret choosing ‘Nthumbidwa’ opposition: ‘Malawi needs development momentum with DPP’
President Peter Mutharika has appealed to people in the country to give him another mandate and his governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the May 21 Tripartite Election, saying they have the experience needed to keep the development momentum the country has taken.
Mutharika, who faces strong competition from his alienated Vice-President Saulos Chilima on a UTM Party ticket, former leader of opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera of MCP AND Atupele Muluzi of UDF, held whistle-stop rallies on Tuesday at Kasungu Boma, Traditional Authority (T/A) Njombwa and Chamama and Wimbe trading centres.
The campaign tour took Mutharika to Kalenga Trading Centre in Kasungu East constituency, Kasungu Boma within Kasungu Central Constituency, Kayesa School Ground in Kasungu West and Mziza in Kasungu South West Constituency.
Scores of cheering supporters the old, the youth and even school going children lined up the routes that President Mutharika took while multitudes thronged all the four venues to listen to Mutharika and evidently to assure the Malawi leader of total support in the elections. Speaking at the campaign meetings clad in a DPP-branded summer hat, Mutharika said he has demonstrated experience and skill to transform Malawi unlike the opposition leaders who do not have the experience and tangible agenda for the nation.
“Do not make the mistake of voting the opposition into government because you will regret it. They do not have the experience and they do not have any vison or agenda for the people of this country. Choose experience over short sighted opposition leaders,” said Mutharika.
He said: “This is an election in which you should vote for experience. Iyi si game ya nthumbidwa iyayi [Elections are serious business. It is not business for small boys].”
The President who was flanked by First Lady Gertrude Mutharika and campaigned alongside DPP secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey, gave as example the pressure that Chakwera gave his government to sale maize to other countries at the time that the country was not sure of the harvest prospects in the next season.
Mutharika, who turns 79 on July 18, said his government has lined up many infrastructure and social development plans that will transform lives of people of Kasungu district in the next five years.
Among them are roads to from Kasungu to Chamama, Mziza to Njombwa, Kasungu to Kayesa up to Border with Zambia, upgrading of some health centres to rural hospitals, construction of seven secondary schools and community technical colleges in all the constituencies in the district.
The whistle stop rallies in Kasungu district largely believe to be opposition strongholds comes at the back of another successful tour of Mchinji on Sunday where huge crowds of people also attended the President’s rallies.
President Mutharika who is seeking a second five year mandate is largely touted for sustaining the Malawi economy and successfully achieving infrastructure development despite a donor budget support freez inherited following the infamous looting of treasury between 2013 and 2014 under the watch of former president Joyce Banda and her Peoples Party (PP).
He introduced several DPP parliamentary and ward councillor candidates during his stopovers. He urged the electorate to grant DPP candidates victory in parliamentary and ward councillorship seats in the elections.
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