Over 150 members dump DPP for Peoples Party
Malawi’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) continues losing its ground because of its autocratic and intolerant leadership that has turned the country into a regretful place to live in.
Latest to lose confidence with President Bingu wa Mutharika’s party is a group of over 150 members who include senior committee members of Bangwe Constituency in the city of Blantyre.
The group announced its defection from the party on Thursday and all the members have since announced that they have joined the Peoples Party (PP) which is led by the country’s vice president Joyce Banda.
The Blantyre Bangwe Constituency is under the DPP’s randy businessman Henry Shaba, a former legislature for the United Democratic Front (UDF).
The defection of the 150 DPP members comes barely a week after Zomba Nsondole Parliamentarian Jennifer Chirunga also announced her defection from the governing party to PP.
The 27-year-old Zomba MP becomes third DPP parliamentarian to join PP after Anita Kalinde of Thyolo North and Zomba Changalume’s Grace Maseko.
Now, the PP boasts four MPs in parliament, including Mzimba West legislator and PP vice president Khumbo Kachali, who was unceremoniously expelled from the DPP alongside Joyce Banda in December, 2010.
And announcing their defection on Thursday, the group led by John Sawi who was the Constituency Governor said they decided to dump the “sinking titanic” after observing that DPP had lost popularity and Malawians were no longer having trust in it.
“To be frank, the party is dead, it has completely lost touch with the grassroots because of the intolerant leadership that has resulted into the country facing numerous social injustices and economic hardships,” he explained.
Another defector, Beatrice Bwanausi who was the constituency chairlady for women affairs said she had been forced to dump the party after realising that it has no welfare of its members at heart.
She said she has been swayed to follow the vice president because of her clean politics and visionary leadership.
“Madam Joyce Banda has demonstrated to Malawians that she does not practice politics of character destruction. She has been castigated left, right and center by government agents but she has never hit back apart from outlining her policies. That shows that she is a responsible politician, a caring leader who has the welfare of Malawians at heart,” said Bwanausi.
Added the former DPP women’s chairlady: “It is not easy to ditch a party that is in government and join the opposition, but you do not also jump into a ship that you see is already sinking, you can only do that if you have mental problems.”
Welcoming the new members, PP Treasurer General Brown ‘BJ’ Mpinganjira said they were delighted that each passing day their party was becoming popular and strong because of the support Malawians are giving it.
“We are naturally glad that almost everyday people are defecting from other parties, including from the ruling party, to join PP, a new party. This gives us an inspiration that people are able to see that PP is the party that can transform this nation and liberate Malawians from the untold miseries they are in,” said the veteran politician who found and led the once popular National Democratic Alliance party (NDA).
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