Mutharika’s leadership a failure for DPP – Analysts

A settled consensus has emerged from political and governance analysts that the erstwhile governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)  which continues to face a string of resignations, squabbles and convictions is due to failure by its leader Peter Mutharika to bring about inspiration since losing elections in June this year.

Mutharika epitomises several attributes of a failed leader which  DPP does not need at the moment

In quotes reported by Weekend Nation newspaper,  Ernest Thindwa, a political scientist from Chancellor College, a constituent college of the University of Malawi (Unima), observed things were falling apart in DPP because Mutharika is not the best for the party.

He said: “Mutharika epitomises several attributes of a failed leader which the DPP does not need at the moment. So the faster they get rid of him and put in a person who can rebrand the party and sell it to Malawians, the better. Otherwise not many Malawians will buy the DPP brand because they know what will likely come out of him.”

Thindwa proposed the party needed to identify a person who could symbolise its change to start winning back people’s confidence.

He also said loss of patronage resources by virtue of losing the June 23 court sanctioned presidential election has also affected the DPP as the development meant the party also lost access to public resources which they used to buy loyalty.

“Now with that patronage resource denied people no longer have incentive to remain loyal and conform to leadership dictates,” said Thindwa.

The political scientist further noted that lack of a democratic culture has weakened the party to deal with competition for leadership position.

“Had the party been democratic the contest for leadership position would have been managed without disruption, therefore, they lack capacity to manage competition or the leadership issue within,” Thindwa said.

Another Chancellor College political scientist Mustapha Hussein is also quoted by the paper saying DPP is still clinging on to a unilateral approach because of the ownership issue.

Hussein said there was need to allow democracy to flourish and resolve the leadership wrangle in the party through an urgent convention.

“Perhaps, the party may also consider taking a radical approach and start thinking of merging with the United Democratic Front to become one party and make the opposition strong,” he said.

University of Livingstonia political scientist George Phiri also concurred with Thindwa and Hussein, saying the developments in DPP was “a clear manifestation of Mutharika’s failed leadership.”

“It seems Peter has his own egos which he fails to manage as a result he has now seen that he has lost leadership of the party and he has also lost the party because if fellow leaders are leaving it means the party is dead. There is no way a party can exist without the leaders,” he said as quoted by the newspaper .

Phiri said Mutharika needed to appreciate why people want a convention otherwise it was “quite embarrassing for him to be calling himself a leader when people are running away from him while others are rising up against him.”

“The DPP is currently dead. The brand cannot sell well on the market because there are several issues that, as a country, people have lost their hope in the DPP. If I were Mutharika I would have immediately called for a convention,” Phiri said.

Last week, Mutharika told reporters from his beachside retirement home in Mangochi that he was not clinging to the position of party president but wanted a proper transition so that no one hijacks the party.

Mutharika argued the Functional Review Committee, headed by DPP vice-president (Eastern Region) Bright Msaka, would settle the disputes once it comes up with its recommendations set to be presented this Saturday October 31.

On quotes reported about governance commentator Makhumbo Munthali, he queried the setting up of the Functional Review Committee describing it as a “red flag on a tacitly calculated move to bar some potential stronger candidates from standing.”

Munthali is quoted:“If this is the path DPP will take, then we should expect even more and deeper divisions and frustrations from their supporters who may be denied the chance to choose a leader of their heart to replace Mutharika through a credible, fair and transparent convention.’’

He said: “The only way DPP can remain relevant is by allowing intra-party democracy to thrive when handling the succession issue. It’s important that the will of the DPP supporters not a few political leaders’ self-interests, should reign supreme.

“Otherwise, with the current bad state of DPP coupled by the continued enjoyment of public support by the Tonse government, DPP might be on the verge of oblivion following the path of UDF and Alliance for Democracy.”

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nafundo zalo
nafundo zalo
3 years ago

awa anangobwera from South Bend Indiana kuti ukalamba wao ungawavute ku Nursing home. He is Waste of space and lazy man with no focus. so yolowera anaona kulowa politics kupeza pobela. galu wacabecabe

Mangochi Kabwafu
Mangochi Kabwafu
3 years ago

Nkhalamba is simply a failure not just for dpp but in general.

Tafadhali
Tafadhali
3 years ago

Politics is an interesting science and it therefore requires artistic and scientific minds. You can have a wide stinking mouth and continue spewing garbage in the process benefitting nobody. In Malawi the political landscape will never thrive and be meaningful in the absence of political players from the Southern & Eastern Regions. It was not by design that Kamuzu when he came back from his studies in Europe & America decided to have the south as his base and went on to rely politically on party members from around Blantyre, Zomba, Mulanje, Mangochi etc.he specifically entrusted mai Tsamwa, Mlanga and… Read more »

Mangochi Kabwafu
Mangochi Kabwafu
3 years ago
Reply to  Tafadhali

You really need mindset change bro.

Zalimbs Mose
Zalimbs Mose
3 years ago

The analysis are for tonse alliance otherwise, if the leadership has contributed a lot to the nation, can one with full senses that the leadership has failed DPP. This is mediocritt on it’s highest order.

Dumb Bastard
3 years ago

APM is an idiot.

Amuna che Bauleni
Amuna che Bauleni
3 years ago

Some people can’t sleep without thinking of Apm. A lot of people in this country,are just born jealous of any mans achievements especially of those who have lived abroad. I had a friend recently, start narrating a story about a certain Malawian lady on holiday here in malawi saying “she’s a whore in the Uk”.Really? Like how do you even start talking about someone like that when you yourself wasn’t there in the UK. You have never been there or outside our Songwe boarder. We are always together here in area 18. Apm, ladies and gents,like it or not, was… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by Amuna che Bauleni
EvrtonVeep
3 years ago

Where is Joseph mutharika?

Zalimbs Mose
Zalimbs Mose
3 years ago

Tonse alliance has ganged up to support for Nankhumwa while on the other hand holding a handcaf for the same Nankhumwa. Let me disclose this if others don’t know, MCP is so malicious, they want to disfame DPP with a lot of tactics one of which is to see Nankhumwa taking over from APM and then towards 2025 election get Nankhumwa arrested making it impossible for him to stand for presidential race and at that point DPP will have no presidential candidate. This is true falacy of MCP.

Mwini muzi
Mwini muzi
3 years ago

Nothing strange to need a battalion of analysts to probe and conclude what is happening inside DPP. We had a similar situation with MCP when such analysts castigated Chakwera in the same way when such internal issues led to court cases. All was settled well after the old guards left. For DPP case, Dausi, Mphepo, Chaponda, Mchacha even Nankhumwa et.al if gone and replaced by new blood with convertional thinking, the party can bounce back stronger than before.

Neno
Neno
3 years ago

Dpp lost track in 2013 to 2014 when they refused at comesa hall to vote Chimunthu Banda to be there leader and voted the old madala antchona to lead them.

Tawene Bulukutu
Tawene Bulukutu
3 years ago
Reply to  Neno

Fake and absolute nonsense. Where is Kamunthu Banda to day after joining Ndekha Alliance? Give it a thought and reason rationally.

Janebiz
Janebiz
3 years ago

Didn’t he say they are waiting for the report on the failed election in order to conduct the convention. Now what is this mbutuma talking about. Some of these chanco idiot analyst are why this country is the butt of the world. It’s very easy to kick someone when he is down, it’s barely been 150 days . Be patient we have 5 years

Babay
3 years ago
Reply to  Janebiz

We know chanco so called political commentators they hate dpp and muthalikas……

Segwe
Segwe
3 years ago

Why waste time kulimbana ndi DPP when its no longer a threat??

Tawene Bulukutu
Tawene Bulukutu
3 years ago
Reply to  Segwe

REALLY???

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