Peter Mutharika lashes at DPP camps
President Peter Mutharika Sunday once again lashed at camps that have emerged in Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
In November 2019, Mutharika also warned DPP officials against in-fighting.
And on his arrival from the United Kingdom where he attended the UK-Africa Summit, Mutharika called for unity in the party for him to lead until 2023 when DPP will hold a convention.
“Youths, women, district governors and regional governors, we all need to unite,” Mutharika said at Kamuzu International Airport, Lilongwe.
“We are a family. We need to stop all these camps until 2023. We will have a convention and a candidate for DPP in 2024. I want all leaders to calm down and wait.”
Mutharika stressed that there was more time before the convention.
A political analyst Ernest Thindwa said while it was expected for the party to have some people rivalling for candidacy, making such remarks publicly signifies Mutharika’s loss of control in DPP.
Thindwa said Mutharika could have addressed such issues internally targeting those that are in the limelight.
“The fact that he has said it publicly means that somehow the President is losing the grip on the party. The statements suggest he would want to have the broad support from the party. It speaks volumes to the extent to which the president is in control as it were,” he said.
Last year, reports showed that DPP gurus—Vice President Everton Chimulirenji, Minister of Agriculture Kondwani Nankhumwa, Minister of Finance Joseph Mwanamvekha and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Bright Msaka—were positioning themselves for the party’s presidency. However, all of them dismissed such reports.
Speaking about the UK-Africa Summit, Mutharika said the international community has confidence in Malawi’s economy and expressed interest to invest in the country.
“This means that there will be an infusion of capital, power, agriculture, irrigation and all sorts of areas. However, they wanted me to assure them that Malawi is going to be peaceful. Therefore, I am inviting Malawians that let us withdraw from the path we have taken, the path of destruction of the country, sit down, talk as Malawians, reconcile and move forward,” he said.
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