AFORD for federal system of government

…as Karonga DPP Member of Parliament attends rally

The Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) President Enoch Chihana has attributed to lack of developmental

infrastructures in the northern region due to what he said the system of government Malawi practices.

Chihana made the remarks during a political rally that he conducted at Karonga Boma community ground on Saturday afternoon also attended by former minister of education in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government who is the sitting DPP Member of Parliament for Karonga North Constituency Vincent Ghambi who he described as a brother and strong political character .

In his remarks, Chihana faulted the current system of government in Malawi in terms of development saying, it favours the region where the sitting head of state comes from denying equitable distribution of social amenities to regions such as the north.

Chihana said since the dawn of democracy, the northern region has not registered meaningful change as most of the infrastructures in the region were built long time ago by our colonial masters and Kamuzu Bandas Malawi Congress Party, giving examples of Karonga police station and Karonga district hospital.

“My fellow kinsmen, time has come for the northern region to unite and make a formidable block if we are to have voice in parliament, a voice that can fight the social ills that country is going through.

“If we can have numbers then in Parliament we can speak with one voice and fight for federal system of government that is more decentralized than the current system of government whereby the president is both head of state and head of government, in turn the executive power is exercised by government,” he said.

The AFORD president said if the northern region was to be a state with its own governor, the federal government would be able to plan on its own social amenities required depending on the regions population, citing an example of quota system which according to him is aimed at reducing the number of graduates in the northern region.

“This is why I urge you to vote for AFORD in the 2019 tripartite elections because it is the party that knows values of democracy as it is the founder of it.As I am speaking right now, most of our government hospitals do not have drugs yet we have just passed the K1.4 trillion budget for the same. And you tend to wonder as to where the money meant for drugs and medical supplies goes,” Chihana said.

He said time has come for the party to move forward and the door is open for everyone to join and contribute to the wellbeing of the general public in the country.

Asked about the power struggle wrangles that the party is entangled with, he said the AFORD that he leads is the legitimate one since it conducted free, fair and credible elective convention at a venue that was duly booked and not what he said someone’s house and said the door is wide open for dialogue with the Frank Mwenifumbo AFORDs faction.

When it was put to him whether AFORD is ready for any alliance with any political party ahead of the 2019 tripartite elections, Chihana said it is abit early to talk about that but could not rule out any possibility of doing so, saying that can be the only way of dislodging the DPP as elections are all about numbers.

Speaking at the same rally the party’s vice president Pastor Precious Chisi said time is ripe for AFORD to claim its lost glory through the 2019 general elections.

“Our message today is simple. We have come to tell you that AFORD is back in town and is here to stay to bring the real change,” Chisi said.

On his part, the party’s Publicity Secretary Khumbo Mwaungulu said AFORD is the only party that has grassroots structures all over Malawi hence the need to usher it in power next year.

He said the party is ready to form the next government and turn around the fortunes of Malawi for the betterment of the general public.

“Let us register and vote for AFORD, the only party with bad record, a party that will revamp the countrys economy, a party that will revamp agriculture which is the hub of the countrys economy, Mwaungulu said.

However, when asked what should people read with the presence of Vincent Ghambi at his rally, Chihana said in a democracy such things are bound to happen as the countrys supreme laws clearly give people such type of freedoms, freedom to associate with any political grouping so that was within his constitutional right to come and attend my political rally after all we are brothers.