Kaliati takes on Mchacha

• Accuses regional governor of masterminding march against her

Mulanje West legislator and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) director of women Patricia Kaliati has accused the party’s regional governor (South) Charles Mchacha of masterminding on Friday’s protest march against her in Mulanje.

A handful protesters clad in DPP-branded T-shirts and party cloth on Friday marched from Chitakale trading centre to the district commissioner’s office in Mulanje to present a petition against Kaliati and her husband, Angie, who is Mulanje Pasani member of Parliament (MP).

She said Mchacha organised the protesters because she was among DPP functionaries canvassing for the presidential candidacy of Vice-President Saulos Chilima over President Peter Mutharika at the party’s elective convention set for this month.

But Mchacha distanced himself from the protests.

In a telephone interview from Lilongwe On Friday, Kaliati challenged her detractors that they should brace for a tough assignment to dislodge her from her constituency.

She said: “Let me tell you this; I know all the schemes that some people in the party are using to put me in bad light, but they will fail. This is the handwork of Charles Mchacha who is spending sleepless nights because of the stand I have taken to support the VP.

“But I can challenge them, they should come to my constituency. They will never get votes. People from my area are fully supportive of me.”

Mchacha denied the accusation, saying: “I am in Blantyre and I do not know about anything happening in Mulanje. Besides, I have my own constituency and what happens in other constituencies is none of my business.

“However, I am not surprised with what is happening. People have a right to defend their own leaders. President Peter Mutharika whom she [Patricia Kaliati] is vilifying has sympathisers who are showing their displeasure at her conduct.”

Kaliati on Thursday led the so-called Chilima Movement, a faction of DPP national governing council (NGC) members and legislators pushing forward Chilima’s name for the party’s presidency.

During the briefing, she described Mutharika as a clueless leader. However, during the launch of the construction of the Lirangwe-Chingale-Machinga Road in Blantyre held simultaneously with the Chilima Movement briefing, Mutharika branded his critics as cowards.

Mulanje DPP officials were not available for comment on Friday. But the protests came weeks after the DPP office in Mulanje organised protests against Mulanje South legislator Bon Kalindo who is also an open supporter of Chilima.

Mutharika is facing an unprecedented resistance for an incumbent—eligible for a second term as per the Malawi Constitution—from some DPP members canvassing for Chilima’s candidacy.

Former first lady Callista Mutharika—widow of Bingu who was the incumbent President’s elder brother—sparked the succession debate weeks ago when she said her in-law, 79, should pave the way for the comparatively youthful and energetic Chilima, 45, widely seen as a hands-on and results-oriented leader after he vibrantly led the Public Sector Reforms Programme that has since lost steam after being moved from his domain.

In the run-up to the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections, Chilima took many people by surprise when he resigned from his lucrative job as Airtel Malawi managing director in the private sector to join active politics as Mutharika’s running mate. His gamble paid dividends when the pair triumphed in the elections.

Besides Kaliati and Kalindo, several DPP NGC members and legislators, including Noel Masangwi (Blantyre City East and NGC member), Allan Ngumuya (Blantyre City South), Malison Ndau (Ntcheu Central), Paul Chibingu (Mwanza West), national director of youth Louis Ngalande and suspended deputy regional governor (North) Afiki Mbewe have openly supported Chilima’s candidacy.

While Mutharika has on several occasions declared his interest to seek re-election, Chilima has remained silent on the issue. His silence has earned him criticism from some quarters with some branding him a coward for not publicly declaring his stand. Earlier this week, Chilima met Mutharika in a one-on-one meeting that lasted over one-and-a-half hours at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre.

The meeting followed Chilima’s rebuff of the President’s emissaries in three Cabinet ministers—Goodall Gondwe (Finance, Economic Planning and Development), Samuel Tembenu (Justice and Constitutional Affairs) and Bright Msaka (Education, Science and Technology)—who met him at his official residence in Lilongwe’s Area 12.

The three ministers said the President had delegated them to ask Chilima to denounce the so-called Chilima Movement and be assured of being Mutharika’s running mate in the 2019 Tripartite Elections. However, State House sources told our sister newspaper, The Nation, that Chilima rejected the request and offer and instead said he would rather discuss the said issues with his boss.