Mia hints at MCP veep post
Malawi Congress Party (MCP)’s new comer, Sidik Mia, over the weekend asked people in the Shire Valley to vote for him as vice-president, confirming widespread rumours that he wants to be running mate to party president Lazarus Chakwera.
“In the run up to the 2019 elections, I will come back [to] campaign for Lawrence Sitolo [as Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsanje Lalanje] and other candidates, with me probably as a running mate to the party’s president [Lazarus Chakwera]. Whatever happens, whether we become MPs or vice presidents, you will remain the bosses,” Mia told people who gathered to celebrate the October 17-by-election win in Nsanje Lalanje Constituency
Mia was speaking in Nsanje Lalanje constituency where he went to celebrate and thank voters for electing Sitolo as MCP MP.
The MCP is pinning its hopes, in the Southern Region, on Mia’s popularity and political experience to, at least, win votes in a region which has, for the past 20 years, produced a president and has been a stronghold of other political parties other than the MCP.
Mia’s decision to join the country’s oldest party led to divisions in the party. Last week, Chakwera met his arch foes Gustave Kaliwo and Richard Msowoya in efforts to patch up their differences.
During the celebrations, Mia gave a cow, bags of rice, maize flour, cooking oil and tomatoes to people of Mpisamanja, Bangula Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation depot and Bangula Primary School, some of the polling centres used in the by-election.
Mia said that more work needs to be done but remained optimistic that the MCP would be better placed to bail Malawians out of such problems as persistent power outages, deteriorating health and education systems and the high unemployment rate among the youth.
“Look at the challenges people are facing. There are persistent power outages, low quality of education and [poor] health services, unemployment and corruption. We are saying things must change come 2019,” Mia said.
Sitolo promised to serve all the constituents regardless of their political affiliation, saying time for politicking was over.
“During the by-elections, we had Democratic Progressive Party supporters, our Malawi Congress Party supporters and the people who supported the independent candidate. I am saying time for politicking is over and all we want is to develop the constituency,” Sitolo said.
The October 17 by-elections were conducted in Lilongwe City South East Constituency, Lilongwe Msozi North Constituency, Nsanje Lalanje constituency, Lilongwe Mtsiriza Ward, Dedza Mayani Ward and Ndirande Makata Ward.
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