‘Saulos Chilima will not form a party’
One of the lieutenants in the Chilima Movement, Councillor Lewis Ngalande, has said they want Vice- President Saulos Chilima to use members of the Chilima Movement in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) when contesting for the position of president in the May 21 2019 elections.
Ngalande said this on Saturday when members of the movement engaged people in Chiradzulu Central Constituency, where they drummed up support for Chilima, who recently dropped a shocker at a press conference in Lilongwe by declaring that he would not contest for any position at the DPP elective convention set for this month.
“There is no time for us to form a party because we are still in DPP. You will agree with me that, to date, I still hold my position (youth director) in the party. So, we will use the movement until 2019 elections,” he said.
Although Chilima did not directly declare his interest in contesting as a presidential candidate, Ngalande said they would continue to garner support for the veep.
He added that they would persuade Chilima to contest as a presidential candidate in the elections.
He said Chilima and his movement had reached a point of no return, reiterating that Malawians will be told of the Veep’s next move soon.
“We tried to push for our candidate, Chilima, to contest [for a position] at the DPP convention but we have been receiving serious threats and we knew that we would not be safe at the convention. So, this is a strategy. As you know, every company or institution has plans when executing duties. And, as a movement, our plan is to go flat out to rural areas and tell the citizenry that time has come for change and the change will be brought with new leadership of Dr Chilima,” he said.
Ngalande said he was hopeful that Chilima would finish the job started by movement agitators.
Speakers at the rally condemned hate speech made by incumbent President Peter Mutharika and his subjects during a recent whistle-stop tour in Thyolo, Mulanje, Phalombe and Chiradzulu districts.
Others who attended the rally include DPP National Governing Council member who is also the party’s Southern Region organising secretary Henry Matemba, Chilima Movement national deputy director of women Loyce Mponda, shadow Members of Parliament and ward councillors.
About 35 people claiming to be from People’s Party availed themselves at the rally and have committed to supporting the movement.
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