DPP MPs retreat over security fears

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators called off their vigils yesterday at Parliament Building for fear of clashing with Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporters.

The DPP members of Parliament (MPs) started holding vigils on Tuesday in protest of Parliament’s decision to suspend 24 DPP MPs, who had defied the Speakers orders during proceedings in the House on Monday, from entering the Parliament Building.

However, MCP supporters yesterday organised a cleaning exercise at Kamuzu Mausoleum which is close to the Parliament Building. They carried slashers and other equipment to cut the grass and clean the mausoleum.

In an interview yesterday, DPP leader of back benchers in Parliament Victor Musowa said theirs is a peace loving party; hence, they could not hold the vigil to avoid clashes with the MCP supporters.

“DPP is a party that promotes peace and we would not want to be involved in confrontations with the people there,” he said, adding that instead they decided to abscond Parliament.

Musowa, who is also the DPP coordinator for the Blue Convoy Parade, said the party will hold the parade on Friday from Memorial Tower in Area 18 Lilongwe.

He refuted reports that the DPP planned to hold the parade yesterday from the Parliament Building.

Said Musowa: “We are a civilised party. We cannot start a parade from the Parliament Building. The communication for today’s parade did not come from the party.

“I am the national coordinator for the blue convoy and any communication regarding the blue convoy is supposed to come from me. Some people just wanted to portray that DPP wants to bring confusion.”

In a separate interview, MCP national youth coordinator Emmanuel Thembachako said there was nothing strange about the cleaning exercise they organised at Kamuzu Mausoleum.

He said being Valentine’s Day, they decided to show love and gratitude to the country’s founding president and former Malawi Congress Party  president the late Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

“There is nothing wrong being here because this is where our father and founder of Malawi Congress Party is resting,” said Thembachako, adding that this was not the first time for the party to hold the cleaning exercise.

When contacted, MCP director of youth Richard Chimwendo Banda declined to comment on the matter, saying he was not part of the arrangement.

There have been disruptions at Parliament since the party tried to replace Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa with George Chaponda and later Mary Navicha.

Nankhumwa is protected by an injunction that some DPP MPs obtained in 2022.