Former Homeland Security Minister and MP for Mwanza Central Sir Nicholas Harry Dausi has hailed efforts by DPP Vice President for the Southern Region Kondwani Nankhumwa to revitalize grassroots party structures in the Southern Region following the June 23 political debacle.
Dausi told reporters after Nankhumwa’s separate meetings with district and constituency committee members in Mwanza and Neno on Friday, October 30, 2020.
Nankhumwa has been meeting and interacting with the grassroots leadership to primarily express the party’s deepest gratitude to them for continuing to donate their time, resources and talent in ensuring that the party remains strong.
Dausi then called for unity among DPP members.
He also demanded internal democracy in the DPP, saying crucial decisions should be made by the highest decision-making structure, the national convention, and not a few individuals.
The party’s Central Committee recently removed Dausi from the position of Publicity Secretary and replaced him with Brown Mpinganjira.
While insisting to reporters that he remains the legitimate Publicist, Dausi refused to comment further on the committee’s decision, saying “time to comprehensively comment on the matter shall come”.
Taking his turn, Nankhumwa said the party owes its expansion and success to its strong grassroots structures whose members have remained loyal since its establishment in 2005.
“You may recall that Malawians went to polls on June 23, 2020 to elect a president. Although our candidate, His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika lost, he amassed an enviable 1.7 million votes against 2.6 million for the Tonse Alliance candidate. Tonse Alliance was a combination of nine political parties and quick arithmetic tells us that had everyone stood alone, our candidate could have won with a landslide. “So, my coming here was to say thank you for mobilizing the people of Mwanza and Neno to vote for APM,” he told the leaders.
Nankhumwa encouraged the local party leadership that despite losing government, they ought to remain solidly behind the party and its leadership to ensure that the DPP returns to power at the next elections. “I know that losing government is painful; most members do not believe it really happened. However, I wish to encourage all of you to come off their denial and put the June 23 defeat behind us,” said the youthful politician who is also Mulanje central parliamentarian.
