Chilumpha gets Bingu’s praise

BY THERESA KASAWALA

The gap that separated President Bingu wa
Mutharika and his vice Cassim Chilumpha seems to be closing ahead of
the May 19, 2009 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections (PPE).



Just Thursday, Mutharika sent a congratulatory message to his deputy
for his (Chilumpha’s) recent sentiments, appealing to the public to
support government’s development agenda.



However, a Zomba based political scientist has described the move as a political gimmick from both sides.



“Mutharika wants to lure UDF supporters, as the candidature of the
former president Bakili Muluzi is uncertain while Chilumpha is just
looking for a political base as he has no party to represent in the
2009 polls,” observed Blessings Chinsinga of Chancellor College of the
University of Malawi.



In a statement signed by State House Press Officer Chikumbutso
Mtumodzi, Mutharika said he appreciated the gesture demonstrated by the
Vice-President.



“This is encouraging and the way things are supposed to be in Malawi for our country to develop further,” he said.



“I encourage the Vice-President to continue in his development meetings
as one way of sensitising the people of this country on their
development needs and programmes.”



Chinsinga, however, said the actions by both parties were beyond what meets the eye.



“I believe that the two have been holding meetings and what we are hearing might be the results,” he said.



Chinsinga observed that the elections were approaching and the involved
parties were trying not to leave any stone unturned to ensure that
votes were amassed come 2009.



The Vice-President has not been in good terms with the President from
the time the state accused him of plotting to assassinate the First
Citizen.



He is still answering treason charges in the courts.



Chilumpha, who has been a staunch UDF member, told his supporters at
one of his meetings in his home district of Nkhotakota to remove the
yellow UDF party cloth “because this is a government function”.



But the move angered UDF, which said despite seeing nothing wrong with
Chillumpha addressing development meetings where he sells government
agenda, it was wrong for him to be attacking the party and its
leadership.



Chilumpha lost to Muluzi for UDF presidential candidacy during a
convention in Blantyre, which many described as not being free and fair.



Since then, Chilumpha has openly shown and expressed his dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership.



The situation worsened recently when UDF supported Chilumpha’s former
lawyer and ally Fahad Assani to represent the party in Nkhotakota South
constituency at the expense of the Vice President.



Chilumpha though insists he will contest for the parliamentary seat in
the constituency but is yet to disclose the party on whose ticket he
would do this



While UDF would be represented by Assani, DPP, for whose ticket some
people suspected Chilumpha would stand, already conducted its primaries
and were won by Greselder Jeffrey.



Chilumpha recently told Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) that
there was nothing strange to tell people to support government, saying
he was second in command.



“People elected me as their Vice-President and there is nothing new by
serving them, that is my constitutional mandate,” Chilumpha said. The gap that separated President Bingu wa
Mutharika and his vice Cassim Chilumpha seems to be closing ahead of
the May 19, 2009 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections (PPE).



Just Thursday, Mutharika sent a congratulatory message to his deputy
for his (Chilumpha’s) recent sentiments, appealing to the public to
support government’s development agenda.



However, a Zomba based political scientist has described the move as a political gimmick from both sides.



“Mutharika wants to lure UDF supporters, as the candidature of the
former president Bakili Muluzi is uncertain while Chilumpha is just
looking for a political base as he has no party to represent in the
2009 polls,” observed Blessings Chinsinga of Chancellor College of the
University of Malawi.



In a statement signed by State House Press Officer Chikumbutso
Mtumodzi, Mutharika said he appreciated the gesture demonstrated by the
Vice-President.



“This is encouraging and the way things are supposed to be in Malawi for our country to develop further,” he said.



“I encourage the Vice-President to continue in his development meetings
as one way of sensitising the people of this country on their
development needs and programmes.”



Chinsinga, however, said the actions by both parties were beyond what meets the eye.



“I believe that the two have been holding meetings and what we are hearing might be the results,” he said.



Chinsinga observed that the elections were approaching and the involved
parties were trying not to leave any stone unturned to ensure that
votes were amassed come 2009.



The Vice-President has not been in good terms with the President from
the time the state accused him of plotting to assassinate the First
Citizen.



He is still answering treason charges in the courts.



Chilumpha, who has been a staunch UDF member, told his supporters at
one of his meetings in his home district of Nkhotakota to remove the
yellow UDF party cloth “because this is a government function”.



But the move angered UDF, which said despite seeing nothing wrong with
Chillumpha addressing development meetings where he sells government
agenda, it was wrong for him to be attacking the party and its
leadership.



Chilumpha lost to Muluzi for UDF presidential candidacy during a
convention in Blantyre, which many described as not being free and fair.



Since then, Chilumpha has openly shown and expressed his dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership.



The situation worsened recently when UDF supported Chilumpha’s former
lawyer and ally Fahad Assani to represent the party in Nkhotakota South
constituency at the expense of the Vice President.



Chilumpha though insists he will contest for the parliamentary seat in
the constituency but is yet to disclose the party on whose ticket he
would do this



While UDF would be represented by Assani, DPP, for whose ticket some
people suspected Chilumpha would stand, already conducted its primaries
and were won by Greselder Jeffrey.



Chilumpha recently told Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) that
there was nothing strange to tell people to support government, saying
he was second in command.



“People elected me as their Vice-President and there is nothing new by
serving them, that is my constitutional mandate,” Chilumpha said.