Drama rages in DPP
Twists and turns continue to rock the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the latest development being the reinstatement of Charles Mchacha as the party’s regional governor for the Southern Region.
The reinstatement follows an injunction Mchacha obtained from the High Court sitting in Lilongwe Wednesday, effectively stopping party president Peter Mutharika from firing him.
According to the injunction, a copy of which The Daily Times has, Mchacha should file an inter partes application for the continuation of the injunction within 28 days from Wednesday.
Speaking in an interview Wednesday, Mchacha said he obtained the injunction because the party erred by allegedly not following provisions of the party’s constitution, further alleging that it did not follow democratic dictates in firing him.
“DPP is associated with democracy, which means that people are free to express themselves for the benefit of the party and this means that one is not supposed to be removed from a position just because they have said something which is not in line with someone’s views,” he said.
DPP spokesperson Shadric Namalomba did not divulge much about the party’s stand, indicating that the party is also just reading about the injunction on social media.
He added that recent developments in DPP do not show that the party is failing to handle matters.
“This has nothing to do with leadership; it is just a member of the party who was removed from his position and has sought an injunction and, since the issue is in court, the party will comment at an appropriate time,” he said.
However, political analyst George Phiri insists that developments in DPP are a result of poor leadership, hence members are doing things as they please.
He said it is, therefore, concerning that some members of the party continue to endorse Mutharika for the 2025 presidential election when dates for a convention are unclear.
“We always say that the party in opposition is a government-in-waiting but this is not the case with DPP and that is why it is failing to even provide checks and balances to the government and the government is doing as it pleases,” he said.
Justin Mkweu is a fast growing reporter who currently works with Times Group on the business desk.
He is however flexible as he also writes about current affairs and national issues.
