BY CEDRICK NGALANDE
As DPP dusts itself up, perhaps this is a high time to take a good look in the mirror. There have been a lot of rumors flying around about corruption at the heart of the party. DPP must now resolve to root out all forms of corruption and corrupt individuals from among its ranks. DPP does not stand for corruption, and anybody involved in such practices would have to face the law with full backing of the party.
It must, however, be emphasized that in any civilized democratic society there needs to be proper investigations not just kangaroo courts. The government of the day cannot just use trumped up charges as a pretext for destroying the opposition.Obviously, it has been a hard year for DPP: a court case tipped over by a judiciary with a soft spot for the other side; an election rerun lost, and now a new government on an arrest spree.In spite of all these things, DPP cannot blame anybody else for its current status. DPP should not have been in this position, in the first place.
The 2019 election should have won decisively if party had not forgotten its founding principles of anti-corruption and national building. There is a tough road ahead to rebuild the party in readiness for 2025. The first order of business will have to be repositioning the party to regain its national status.
In recent years, there has been a growing perception that DPP is a party for only a particular group of people in a particular region of the country. In some cases, this has been more than just a perception. A few not so nice statements have been made here and there by some from inside the party.
The party has a difficult but necessary job of reconciling itself with the rest of the country, especially fellow citizens from the Northern Region. It maybe that such a process will have to include a public and sincerely apology to our friends up there. It may also be that party will have to promise that when it gets back into power in 2025, at least a certain fraction of new high-level government appointees including cabinet members will come from the North.
Unlike Laz Chakwera who shameless attempted to run away from the truth by seeking to redefine ‘merit’ to defend his central region heavy cabinet , the party has to face these challenges squarely. All people, districts and regions of the country are equal, and as Aristotle once said, “Equals should be treated equally”.
DPP must also stand for something; a philosophy, a principle or platform that must also always be associated with the party. One of the reasons all the parties in the country are vulnerable to tribalism and regionalism is because they do not stand for anything. Other than handing out a particular color of t-shirts, there is no platform that differentiates any one party from another. Party supporters have nothing else to rally around.In spite of these challenges and frustrations, the fundamentals of the DPP party are still strong – probably the strongest in the country. The infrastructures and grassroots are solid, and the party is well positioned to regain the government in 2025 with a landslide.
Dear Mr Cedric Ngalande, thank you for your article, at least there is someone that is saying something as opposed to keeping quite as though nothing has happened.
It is no secret that DPP took corruption to another level. The corrupt running of government affairs started with Bakili Muluzi and when DPP took over they just perfected the system. The theft of tax revenues from Kayerekera Mining in Karonga, the theft and misuse of Chikangawa Plantation, the nonsensical construction of a grand home of the late Bingu Mutharika, his musoleum, the roads constructed for half a mile meant to defraud government coffers; that DPP used to promise people of the north but never implemented and the list goes on.
APM has behaved as though he never got educated at prestigious universities of Yale and London. After spending so much time in US he should have known better how cruel poverty is to Africans and worse enough to the daubed poorest country in the world, Malawi. APM has entrenched grand theft in Malawi, he’s entrenched tribalism and regionalism at a grand scale. It’s unthinkable that his followers would spue out obscene language, broad daylight “kutukwana”, and you clap hands; what nonsense is that? Think of an 80 year old APM talking about JB in the manner he did during the campaign. This simply showed how much he lacks wisdom.
This new government has not started to conduct investigation and hasn’t ran a kangaroo court. They haven’t made trumped up charges. This government was only sworn in on the 6th July 2020 and that means by today they have been in government for only 7days. Is it that possible they could do such in only 7 days in power?
If this is true then you have to be very afraid because it simply means your corrupt practices have been so obvious that even a standard 8 student is able to notice. You remember a madman in the Bible who told Jesus to go away even before Jesus could utter a single word. That is exactly where DPP people are and especially the so called cadets.
The judiciary did not have a soft spot for the opposition. To begin with DPP stole elections by the use of tippex in altering the results, it used Jane Ansah to infiltrate the rigging of elections. Just remember this, DPP used lawyers from South Africa to show they were really prepared to and determined to stay in power and plunder the poor country Malawi.
Am sure you are aware by now about the stolen Toyota Prados that are being abandoned because DPP crooks are afraid of the arm of the law following them. “Mwagona pachande musana ukuoneka,” wina alira lero. With all this can you say that the new government is on an arrest spree? Really?
One of the things I cannot swallow in your article is to say that regionalism was just a perception. You must be dull to the realities that happen right infront of you but you choose to look away. It’s important you had to say something but if this is how you truly see things in your country then you have a long way to go.
Finally, “our friends up there,” . This statement stinks arrogance. We are more than friends up there, we are countrymen and each other’s brothers keeper. We are Malawians, “Equal should be treated equally.” Thank you.