Democratic Progressive Party and United Democratic Front on Tuesday announced a working alliance with indirect condemnation at MCP for living up to its dictatorship days as a party of violence and bloodshed.
In their joint statement and in speeches by leaders of the two parties, MCP’s violence of the past 11 months kept recurring, in some cases wrapped in messages of the importance of peace, love and unity — values which the two parties said they prize highly as they are central to Malawi’s development.
In the statement, DPP and UDF said their alliance comes at a time when some politicians are threatening the peace and stability which this country has enjoyed for many years.
“Both the DPP and the UDF share a common belief that peace, stability and unity are a prerequisite for Malawi’s development. We do not believe in violence,” reads the statement.
This was a cruel stab in the ribs of MCP which has taken to violence as a way of settling electoral grievances.
Since the election last year, MCP has waged a campaign of terror through demonstrations protesting the results of the elections.
Led by HRDC, the party’s Youth League has been beating up innocent citizens, burning and looting shops and farms, torching government offices, damaging people’s houses and stealing property and demonizing and plotting against people from the South and North.
It has been a recreation of the 31 years MCP in power when the party exacted extensive and systemic human rights abuses of killings, torture, property dispossession and detentions and exiling of citizens.
“We
both believe political violence is a threat to democracy and a symptom of
autocracy which Malawians painfully fought and sacrificed their lives from 1964
to 1994.
“Political violence is a symbol of intolerance which we reject in our
quest for dialogue and unity,” reads the statement.
In contrast to MCP philosophy of deploying youth to conduct acts of violence, DPP and UDF said their philosophy is to nurture a generation of skilled and independent youth.
“We
say “No” to reducing the Youth of Malawi into agents of violence. We
say “No” to teaching our Youth lawlessness and chaos.
“Instead of manipulating the Youth into violence, lawlessness and national destruction; we pledge to empower the Youth and women with skills, financial capital and a sense of responsibility for them to become a dependable generation that creates its own jobs, businesses and new wealth.”
In their speeches, President Peter Mutharika and Atupele Muluzi said they are driven by common values to improve the quality of lives of Malawians.
Mutharika said DPP and UDF share similar values of being democratic, peaceful and development-oriented.
“We belong to one family. Our alliance is founded on common values to unite in developing our country,” said Mutharika.
On his part, Muluzi said UDF and DPP believe in unity and peace in serving the interests of all Malawians.
He said serving Malawians comes first over personal ambition and that it is through unity between political parties and among all Malawians that the country can achieve enduring development.
“There is an African proverb that says that ‘If you want to go fast you go alone, but if you want to go far you go together’. It is in that spirit that I have set aside any personal ambition in favour of serving Malawi,” said Muluzi.
The ceremony was witnessed by executive officials from both political parties and their respective followers.
