Opposition plots 2019 alliance

As the 2019 Tripartite Elections are drawing closer, some opposition political parties in the country have started holding meetings with the hope of forming an alliance ahead of the polls.

But the parties’ main contender, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has said it is not moved by the opposition’s strategy, saying if anything, it is a sign that the opposition has respect for the DPP.

According to one of the country’s opposition political party leaders, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not mandated to speak on behalf of the working group, at least nine opposition parties have so far shown interest in the alliance.

Meanwhile, the parties are scheduled to hold their second meeting tomorrow at a hotel in Blantyre.

Our source said apart from discussions on the possible alliance, the meeting will also discuss challenges the country is facing, especially unemployment.

“The country is not going in the right direction. We need to find new leaders who can engage a reverse gear before we perish. We are craving a proper government—an all-inclusive government where all Malawians should be represented.

“We need a government of the people, for the people and by the people, and not the one we are currently have; of the party, for the party and to the party. Let us wait and see what will come out of the meeting,” said the source.

Meanwhile, New Labour Party president Sam Mpasu has confirmed about the conference, saying they will tackle different issues, including those to do with the manufacturing sector in the economy, which he said government has neglected.

On the alliance, Mpasu said if parties are working together, it means they have the same ideologies.

“If we are working together now it means two things—economic and social philosophy is the same. If we want to work together, it would be much easier in 2019,” said Mpasu.

He said the discussions about a possible alliance started some time in Blantyre, before they held another meeting in Lilongwe two months ago.

People’s Party acting president Uladi Musa said he remembers receiving an invitation to tomorrow’s conference. He was, however, reluctant to say much about the alliance issue.

“I cannot preempt or predict what [we intend] to discuss. But discussing an alliance is very important,” he said.

But main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), and Aford, yesterday said they had not yet received an invitation. They asked for more time.

Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nicholas Dausi, who is also the government spokesperson, said as government and DPP, they see nothing new in alliances, saying such partnerships have failed in the past.

“Let us wait and see. This means they have respect for DPP as the strongest party in the country. As a party and government, our interest is to develop the country and Malawians are the best judge,” he said.

Dausi said since the country now has 58 political parties, such alliances are likely to appear.

Since the introduction of multiparty politics in the country, opposition political parties have resorted to forming alliances ahead of elections in a bid to unseat the ruling party.

In the 1999 general elections, MCP made an alliance with Aford, but they lost to the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by Bakili Muluzi.

In 2004, Mgwirizano Coalition comprising MCP, Aford and other smaller parties again failed to dislodge the UDF, whose torchbearer was Bingu wa Mutharika, before he ditched the party to form DPP.

In 2009, MCP and UDF formed an alliance, which also failed to win while, in 2014, Tisintha Alliance, championed by George Nnesa of Mafunde, also worked in vain. n