PP face further popularity decline as Mzuzu Mayor quits
The former governing People’s Party (PP) continues to face further popularity decline after Mzuzu Mayor William Mkandawire announced his resignation from the party under whose banner he was re-elected two months ago.
The party’s Administrative Secretary Joseph Chikwemba said they were not officially aware that Mkandawire had called it quits.
The youthful Mayor cited his burning desire to concentrate on developing Malawi’s third largest city without being bound to party politics as the main reason for his dumping PP.
“I have made up my mind and I want to serve the people of Mzuzu. We need to work on roads, bridges, markets and various development projects. So, this is not time for politics,” Mkandawire told a local newspaper.
The People’s Party, which is led by former President Joyce Banda, has recently suffered high-profile defections. National Women’s Director and former cabinet minister, Mary Clara Makungwa, Publicity and Administrative Secretary Ken Msonda and Bintony Kutsaira are some of the recent PP defectors. They have since joined the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
According to analysts, the wave of defections may be as a result of the long absence from Malawi of its leader Joyce Banda. She has been outside Malawi for over two years now.
The PP, which has a thin-razor membership in Parliament, is likely to seek partnership with other opposition political parties in future national elections because of its fast waning popularity and its absent leader if it has to return into government.
A social media commentator, James Matete told Nyasa Times in an interview that Mkandawire’s must not be must not be taken lightly by the party as there are many disillusioned members who are ready to join vibrant parties with intact leadership.
“Since the May 2014 tripartite elections, the political landscape has opposition MCP, while the DPP has been working tirelessly to hold on to power despite Malawians’ discontent over the worsening economic situation.
“The PP on the other hand continues to flit-around in the political doldrums; the party’s disconnect with its members has reached appalling levels. Their leader deserted them and the party is struggling to keep pace with the political heartbeat of the country,” observed Matete.
He said that it is not late for the PP to embark on a serious soul-searching initiative to establish where things are getting wrong to suffer such high-profile defections.
The PP must work out a clear roadmap for the party ahead of the next elections because as it is the case now, the PP hangs by a thread in as far as its political survival is concerned.
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