Regime thugs beat MCP’s Govati: PP condemns ‘reign of terror’ ahead of Malawi watershed polls

Suspected  governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) youth cadets severely beat up a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) member Edward Govati in Blantyre, the matter was reported to Police before taking him to the hospital.

MCP  spokesman Reverend Maurice Munthali confirmed that  regime thugs  flogged Govati to within an inch of his life for the mere reason that he supports an opposition party and for allegedly branding the party a group of thieves..

“Violence will not win them an election. They cannot rule through terror,” said Munthali.

The development comes amid growing tension ahead of May 21 elections.

But DPP spokesperson Nicholas Dausi has  dismissed any possibility that the party was responsible for the attacks, saying the allegations were baseless.

Meanwhile, former ruling People’s Party (PP) has strongly condemned the escalating political violence happening across the country allegedly orchestrated and masterminded by DPP militia against opposition political leaders and its members.

A number of people from opposition parties with UTM party being the main culprit have brutally been assaulted luckily no death has been registered.

A statement released on Monday January 21 2019 states that: “Peoples Party is deeply concerned with spates of escalating political violence being perpetrated by the alleged ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on opposition parties in the country.”

The party says it has noted with shock that over the past week members of UTM have been on the receiving end of this malaise.

The first incident involved Mulanje South legislator and UTM Director of Youth, Bon Kalindo, who was assaulted in Mulanje by a group of people he identified as DPP followers.

And just om Sunday  January 20 2019 in Mangochi, again UTM officials were harassed and stopped from proceeding with their laid-out program on their calendar, and MCP supporter Edward Govati was also assaulted by the same DPP operatives in Blantyre.

“People’s Party strongly believes that this kind of behaviour is undemocratic, barbaric and savage from any angle one looks at it. First and foremost, every citizen of Malawi is endowed with rights which must be fully exercised if one so wishes. Freedoms of association and assembly should not be tampered with by anyone in any way if they are exercised within the confines of the law of the land,” reads the statement.

The statement further noted that it is a shame for DPP to become a bearer of violence against other political players, dragging the country back to one-party tendencies where alternative voices were labeled as sinful 25 years after attaining democracy.

“As one of opposition parties in the country we will together with our colleagues continue holding those in power accountable for their actions and policies. This we will do through Parliament and rallies across the country as such we expect the DPP to accept this reality” reads the statement.

According to the statement, a better Malawi can only be achieved when all political players are given space to propagate their respective policies without intimidation and physical harassment from those in executive power.

Livingstonia CCAP Synod Church and Society Programme director Moses Mkandawire said the DPP members were not politicians, but thugs. He said any person who indulges in violence or believes in violence is a thug.