Joyce Banda speaks on new party reports

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Malawi Joyce Banda

DPP asked to stop talking about JB

The former ruling People’s Party (PP) has come in the open to rebuff reports making rounds that its founder Joyce Banda will be forming another party ahead of the 2019 elections.

The social media has lately been awash with that Banda formed a surrogate party with Prophet Shepherd Bushiri together with Chris Dadza who according to reports, is to lead the party and the new party has combined with elements of PP, DPP and MCP.

The reports made claims that the party would be known as called People’s Democratic Congress (PDC).

Joyce Banda
Joyce Band: Denies reports she is forming a new party.

They further claimed that the party will most likely set out to mobilise the frustrations of tobacco growers and promise to develop agriculture as a source of Malawi’s economy.

However, according to the party’s publicity secretary, Noah Chimpeni, the reports which have gone viral on the social media especially Facebook, are not true and says they are there just to injure the party’s and Banda’s reputation.

Chimpeni has since made claims that the stories are being speared by agents of a ruling Democratic Progressive party (DPP).

Chimpeni wondered why Banda would form a political party when she already has a vibrant party (PP) that is represented in the National Assembly with 24 lawmakers.

“This is not true and I’m wondering where people are taking these false reports because Banda is in touch with PP almost every day and even our followers know that she is still the founder of the party. She is still our founding president and she has not resigned and she will not resign. How can she form another party leaving a national party which has got followers from Chitipa district to Nsanje district and have also 24 members of parliament. This is DPP propaganda aimed at diverting people’s attention from real issues affecting them” said Chimpeni.

He continued by saying that the DPP is obsessed with the name of Banda because they have failed to make Malawians forget the good things she did in this country during the two years she was in charge.

Ever since she  lost in the May 2014 elections, Banda has been abroad and the PP has not been  left with resignations of key leaders like Ken Msonda and Moses Kunkuyu.

Two months ago, Banda said she is ready to contest in the next elections, so long as Malawians ask her to do so when she returns home in the ‘near’ future.