Front PageNational News

APM warns against rigging

President Peter Mutharika has warned “a certain opposition political party” against rigging the May 21 Tripartite Elections, saying he will take appropriate action.

He said this at Chirimba Township in Blantyre on Sunday during his whistle-stop tour of four of the city’s townships. The other stops were at Machinjiri, Khama and Ndirande townships.

Mutharika addressing the Chirimba crowd on Sunday

Mutharika, who is also the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) torchbearer in the May elections, said he is aware that an opposition party, which he did not mention, intends to rig the elections.

He charged: “I am watching you! When I am ready, I will be after you. There are some people who want to rig the elections.”

The President also said his government has performed well and needs to be in power again to continue the unfinished developmental projects it has started in the country.

He pledged a number of projects in Blantyre, including the completion of the Blantyre District Hospital project—a brainchild of former president Bakili Muluzi which was meant to be funded by the Libyan government— the construction of a national stadium at Njamba Freedom Park, the renovation of Chileka International Airport and the construction of two stadia for Blantyre football team giants Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Beforward  Wanderers, among others.

He said: “There will be a special committee to be led by James Chuma [chairperson of Malawi National Sports Council] to look into the construction of the stadia.  Next week, the committee, together with Blantyre City Council [BCC], ministry [of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development] officials, will meet with officials from both Bullets and Wanderers to find land for the projects.”  

In his speech at Khama, DPP regional governor for the South Charles Mchacha, who is also Deputy Minister of Homeland Security, hit at civil society organisations (CSOs) for failing to appreciate the achievements of the DPP administration.

He cited the reduction in fuel prices, the improvement of power supply and Malawi’s qualification for the second compact of the Millennium Challenge Account as indications that the DPP government is steering the economy in the right direction.

Said Mchacha: “There are these CSOs who rush to demonstrate on the streets. I ask them to hold demonstrations to inform people what the DPP and [President] Peter Mutharika have achieved. Failing which we will make our own demonstrations”.

Related Articles

Back to top button