Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has rebuked Malawi Congress Party (MCP) for alleging that the former governing party sponsors protests against Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja.
DPP spokesperson Shadric Namalomba, in a statement on Friday, further described as impolite, MCP’s publicity secretary Jessie Kabwila for uttering remarks perceived disrespectful to the party and its leader Peter Mutharika.
Namalomba’s statement was in direct response to Kabwila’s sentiments at a media briefing in Lilongwe on Thursday where she said the DPP is fighting MCP through bankrolling demonstrations led by civil society organisations.
“The DPP publicly endorsed the demonstrations. It was clear that it was about a political party trying to fight another political party,” she said.
“The DPP should reserve its energy and compete with other political parties on the ground.”
But Namalomba said the DPP has nothing to do with the demonstrations to force Mtalimanja’s resignation.
He claimed it is people’s frustrations that are triggering the rejection of the High Court of Malawi Judge.
Namalomba said: “It is common knowledge that the DPP has never participated in any protests in the country. It is ludicrous for anyone to suggest we are responsible for the recent demonstrations. These protests are a direct result of the people’s frustration with the current administration’s incompetence and poor governance.”
He said the DPP is focusing on strategies to win the forthcoming elections; hence, it does not have time for ‘petty’ arguments with MCP.
Namalomba further faulted Kabwila for organising the press conference to throw shade at the DPP instead of responding to questions on how government is allegedly failing to provide for Malawians and how thugs purportedly sponsored by her party have been disrupting demonstrations.
During the anti-MEC chairperson demonstrations in Lilongwe a fortnight ago, unknown thugs attacked protesters, including one of the leaders—Sylvester Namiwa, in the presence of police and Malawi Defence Force officers in an act which has received widespread condemnation.
Local and international organisations have described the act as barbaric, faulting both security agencies and the country’s leadership.
The European Union threatened to pull out financial support.
Our efforts to engage Kabwila yesterday proved futile as she could not be reached on her mobile phone.
Ahead of the forthcoming polls, there have been a wave of demonstrations against MEC, mainly by civil society organisations who have expressed reservations with the use of election management devices, alleging potential electoral fraud.
Their stance on the matter has been receiving endorsements from opposition political parties, who on numerous occasions have tried to persuade MEC to conduct an independent audit of the election management system but to no avail.
