Mulli tells rally ‘DPP is for us the Lhomwes’

…race to 2019 rages on

Politician cum business magnet Leston Mulli has made a public claim that it is Lhomwe people that are the ‘rightful owners’ of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

According to Mulli, with the founder being the late Bingu wa Mutharika who hailed from Thyolo district – one of the districts in the Lhomwe belt, the people from Thyolo, Mulanje, Phalombe and Chiradzulu- where the Lhomwe are many in numbers need to always rally behind the party.

‘’Ndi chipani cha a Mbuyathu a Bingu, wina aliyense asatipitise kwina (This is the party of our grandfather, Bingu. Let no one take us away to another party,’’ he told a rally over the weekend.
A video of his speech showing this part has since gone viral.

Mulli’s remarks come at a time when politicians from entirely all parties are fighting for the numbers ahead of the 2019 elections. The DPP has however with such a school thought been accused of nepotism with most top position bearers coming from the South and the Lhomwe districts.

The DPP faces stern opposition from a fast growing faction that emerged from the party, the United Transformation Movement (UTM), main opposition party the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), former ruling People’s Party (PP) and other parties for the presidency, parliamentary and local government representation.

The numbers for votes have largely emanated from regions where in most cases the founder of the party comes from.

For example, the DPP banks largely on the Southern Region to be precise the Lhomwe belt with the MCP placing its huge hopes in the Central Region where it just like the DPP in the South reckons of a stronghold.

Ahead of the elections, the DPP has had some influential names from the Lhomwe districts such as lawmakers Bon Kalindo and Patricia Kaliati both from Mulanje ditch it for the UTM on claims that incumbent Peter Mutharika is rather ‘old’ and therefore needed to pave way for his Vice Saulos Chilima.

Mutharika shrugged off the claims before Chilima launched his UTM.