DPP issues cut across the spectrum

Events unfolding in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are interesting. A group calling itself ‘concerned DPP officials’ has emerged and is calling for the resignation of acting president Peter Mutharika, an open election of another interim leader and holding of a convention to democratically elect legitimate leaders.

Without taking sides, the officials have raised pertinent issues which Malawians have been asking their political parties to adhere to, as part of intra-party and national democratisation processes.

For example, it has been noted that most political parties have not had conventions in the recent past. The United Democratic Front (UDF) and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) had their conventions in 2008 where their torch-bearers for the 2009 general elections were elected. That was about it.

The DPP had a similar meeting where the late president Bingu wa Mutharika was endorsed as the party’s presidential candidate, but people were never elected into offices. He nominated and, as time went by, reshuffled some of them at will.

Ironically, conventions were a common feature when the country was under a dictatorial government but not now when it has embraced multiparty democracy. Obviously, one would have expected things to be the other way round.

It seems our political parties only exist for elections; hence, have the audacity to forgo conventions which ordinarily offer people an opportunity to elect their leaders, know the source of their party funds and how they are being used.

But in Malawi, even staunch party supporters do not have an idea where party resources come from and how they are used. This is one of the reasons the MCP courted its unpopularity and collapsed.

As DPP are trying to address the issues at hand, which we recommend, we expect other political parties to also do the needful, because the matters being raised are national.