MCP, UTM move to mend fences
Key partners in the governing Tonse Alliance, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM Party, have resolved to put their differences aside and work together to strengthen their partnership as well as democracy.
The agreement was made on Thursday during a meeting President Lazarus Chakwera, in his capacity as leader of MCP, had with Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who leads UTM Party. The leaders were also accompanied by some of their parties’ senior officials.
The move comes barely a week after Chilima spat venom and opened a Pandora’s box by disclosing some finer details of the agreement between him and Chakwera kept under wraps for over two years now.
In a joint statement signed by MCP spokesperson the Reverend Maurice Munthali and UTM Party spokesperson Frank Mwenifumbo, the parties said the two leaders met with the purpose of determining how best the parties can work in the interest of Malawians.
Reads part of the statement: “The leaders of the Malawi Congress Party and UTM met on Thursday with the objective of determining how the two parties will work together for the greater good of the Malawian people within the Tonse Alliance framework.”
It further said during the meeting, the two parties agreed to uphold a policy of “direct and regular engagement” to strengthen their working relationship and achieve the vision which they had agreed to serve Malawians.
When contacted later, Mwenifumbo said he could not comment beyond the contents of the joint statement while Munthali could not be reached.
The two leaders’ meeting comes amid a perception of a sour relationship between them, especially in the aftermath of an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) report implicating the Vice-President in alleged corrupt practices with United Kingdom-based businessperson Zuneth Sattar.
Following the ACB report, Chakwera withheld Chilima’s delegated powers pending the graft-busting body’s investigations into the allegations.
But the report, according to Chakwera, did not explicitly explain the role of the Vice-President in the alleged corrupt dealings.
During the 58th Independence Anniversary Celebrations marked by prayers in Lilongwe on July 6, Chakwera and Chilima also met and appeared like all was well.
On Friday last week, Chilima announced in a statement in Lilongwe that in keeping with the pact he made with Chakwera prior to the June 23 2020 court-sanctioned Fresh Presidential Election, he is the Tonse Alliance’s 2025 presidential candidate.
He said the pact he made with Chakwera was for 10 years in which both of them are expected to support each other to lead the country for one term.
But MCP secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka later addressed the media, saying the party is not in possession of any agreement that stipulates the sharing of terms between Chakwera and Chilima.
Prior to the presidential election which was held following a Constitutional Court ruling that nullified the May 2019 presidential election, Chakwera and Chilima formed the Tonse Alliance which also comprises eight other political parties.
