Suggestions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) publicity secretary Nicholas Dausi that the ruling People’s Party (PP) is buying DPP cloth and distributing it to PP supporters to cause mayhem in some parts of the country is an insult to Malawians’ intelligence.
Without taking sides, we see Dausi’s statement as a lame excuse on the part of the DPP officials. In fact, what was expected of the leadership was to condemn the violence by DPP supporters who are alleged to have damaged property of innocent citizens in the cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe.
We are saying this because, from the onset in Blantyre where DPP interim leader Peter Mutharika handed himself over to police, part of the crowd that gathered there was seen being dropped off at some points in trucks whose owners have links to DPP.
There is nothing wrong with sympathisers giving moral support to a suspect. However, that needs to be done in a peaceful manner, bearing in mind that where one’s rights ends, another person’s rights begin.
Many Malawians’ memories are still fresh of how some panga wielding DPP cadres threatened the citizenry on the eve of the July 20 2011 anti-government demonstrations when DPP was in power. Is it not ironical that today, the same DPP officials and supporters are being allowed to freely march without permission nor indeed paying the K2 million (about $5 128) they wanted other demonstrators to pay?
It is, therefore, our plea to DPP officials and supporters to give peace a chance by peacefully attending the court proceedings without putting other people’s lives and property at risk.
