PPM is one of the parties that did not win a single parliamentary seat in the May 20 Tripartite Elections. Our report Boniface Phiri talks to the party’s president Mark Katsonga on his views on the elections.

Q: How would you assess the whole electoral process?

A; The electoral process was marred by so many irregularities. It cannot, therefore, be described as fair or credible. Looking at the irregularities that dogged the elections as admitted by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Maxon Mbendera, there was need for MEC within its jurisdiction to map the way forward without undue influence from outside, but that was thwarted. I am afraid if we continue the way we are handling issues of national importance we will set a bad precedence which will haunt us forever as a country. Whoever won should know that their so called victory was born from an irregular democratic process which was not free.

Q: You and your party performed decimally. Were the results a true reflection of your endeavours?

A:

Not at all. Like I said, we felt cheated and the elections were not conducted in a fair, transparent, free and credible manner. As a result, we find the results not a true reflection of our endeavours. We traveled all over the country and the support was massive; it is not understandable that we did not manage a single seat. This all shows that the whole electoral process was in shambles and total mess. It leaves a lot to be desired.

Q: Do you see PPM surviving in politics for long?

A:

PPM will continue to be there except in case of a merger. The values that PPM stands for are for the good of the nation and it’s just unfortunate that some people thought of taking things in their hands and manipulate the elections in which we were sure of doing very well. PPM has survived a lot of hardships since it was formed and we have matured in politics.

Q: Are you ready to work with the new DPP government?

A:

If invited, we are very willing to do so because PPM is there to serve the people of Malawi and not individual interests. The country belongs to us all and we believe in inclusive politics which shows willingness to accommodate views of others. We shall be glad if that happens because it will give us an opportunity to showcase what we believe in and how we can transform this country.

Q: Now what’s the way forward with the 20-point plan?

A:

The 20-Point Plan is a living document. It’s the lifeline for Malawi. It is a strategic plan for Malawi for the coming 50 years and we have clearly said that it can be adopted by any party in government which truly wants to transform Malawi. We strongly recommend it to the new government and they shall benefit a lot from it if they can make good use of it. We are not selfish with it; anyone who has the plight of this country and its citizens at heart can adopt some its contents and proposals as long as they seek our consent, of course.

Q: What would be your advice to Peter Mutharika and his DPP government?

A:

Walk the talk and time to start is now. This means time for politicking is over. Let’s now focus on how to build our bruised nation. This nation has been let down by politicians who spend most of their time scoring political scores against opponents at the expense of poor Malawians. The DPP promised a lot in their manifesto and rallies; this is time to implement those proposed policies, otherwise people will show them no mercy during the 2019 polls.