PPM’s Katsonga caught lying during final presidential debates

People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) presidential candidate  Mark Katsonga was caught by observers for not being truthful during the third and final presidential debates on Tuesday evening in Blantyre when he claimed he founded his party and has not been in any other party.

The former legislator and wealthy businessman said he was not a recycled politician but has always been PPM since he founded the party.

”I have never been an MCP member. I am PPM first and last so the issue of jumping parties is out of question,” he said.

Mark Katsonga: Not truthful
Mark Katsonga: Not truthful

“I’ve always been PPM. I am PPM and I’ll die PPM. The question of intra-party democracy doesn’t apply to us,” he said responding to a question from moderator.

But observers swiftly took it on social media that Katsonga didn’t found PPM.

“PPM was started by Jimmy Korea Mpatsa who lost it to AKB (Late Aleke Banda). When Mpatsa left Katsonga became AKB’s veep,” noted journalist Raphael Tenthani.

“And is he being truthful to claim that he never bought an MCP card? Was he in the country?”

Responding to the first question with regard to intraparty democracy, Katsonga Phiri gave Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Peter Mutharika a jab as the right person to provide answers as to why Presidents continue to rule, without seeking fresh mandate, when they ditch their sponsoring parties while in power.

He was apparently referring to former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika’s dumping of UDF in 2005, a party that sponsored his ticket to State House in 2004, to form DPP.

But Mutharika hit back: “I would want to think that the PPM candidate has misdirected the honour to me because he is able to testify that I have never left the DPP, nor have I been a President who dumped his party after being elected.”

Malawi’s 11 presidential candidates in the May 20 elections, except President Joyce Banda of People’s Party (PP) took part in the third and final debate.

The debate held at Victoria Hotel in Blantyre, attracted Atupele Muluzi of United Democratic Front (UDF) Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Davis Katsonga of Chipani Cha Pfuko (CCP),  George Nnensa who is leading the Tisintha Alliance, and Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

Others were Kamuzu Chibambo of the People’s Transformation Party (Petra), Prof John Chisi of Umodzi Party (UP), Friday Jumbe of New Labour Party (NLP), James Nyondo of National Salvation Front (Nasaf) and Helen Singh of United Independent Party (UIP).

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