Big promises to improve education service delivery in the Northern Region topped the issues in Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Arthur Peter Mutharika’s whistle-stop tours in Mzuzu on Sunday.
President Mutharika started by taking the crowd of vendors at Mzuzu Main Market through the voting process urging them to give His DPP another five year term in Government to continue modernizing the City of Mzuzu.
“Are you ready to vote for me on May 21? When you see my face on the ballot box that is where you will simply tick and also vote for the MP Kenneth Sanga and the DPP Councilor. Make sure that you vote for a DPP Councillor.
“If you vote for an opposition councilor, you will be choosing underdevelopment because they will not be able to approach me with your concerns as they will not tell Sanga. But we are promising that we will make Mzuzu a modern City if you vote for us,” Mutharika said.
In the campaign speech, Mutharika reiterated his disapproval of a Malawi Congress Party (MCP)–led Government with a warning that the country is likely to slide into underdevelopment if the opposition MCP is voted into power.
On education, President Mutharika promised to invest in infrastructure and technical support to both secondary and vocational education in Mzuzu in addition to the newly built teachers’ houses at Mzuzu University.
“Schools are in a bad shape here in Mzuzu. We will ensure that we build more school blocks. We will build 200 new schools from July. Here in Mzimba, we will have seven new secondary schools. And here in Mzuzu, we will build a secondary school with girls hostels.
“Starting from August, here in Mzuzu, we will start construction of a community technical college so that our youth may learn various skills such as sewing and then they can employ themselves,” Mutharika said.
Apart from education, Mutharika also promised to invest in the construction of a new modern market and an international airport among other significant developments.
Mutharika said he will also provide flexible loans to vendors in the city, if voted back in power. But the President took a swipe at some contractors for the shoddy works on some recently constructed roads in the City which are already developing dangerous portholes.
And speaking earlier, Traditional Authority Mtwalo welcomed Mutharika to Mzuzu City and complimented him for equally distributing development projects across the country during his first term in office.
“Mr. President you are welcome to Mzuzu, this is your home. You are a President who does not segregate, you equally distribute development projects across the Country. The candidate Kenneth Sanga that you have given us is also ideal because he has a clean reputation,” Mtwalo said.
Mutharika’s whistle-stop tours at Mzuzu Central Market, Chiputula 4-Ways Market, Luwinga Area 1 B Market, Chibavi Market and Masasa were attended by Party gurus including DPP Vice President in the North Dr. Goodall Gondwe and Presidential Advisor on Youth Simon Vuwa Kaunda. Notable traditional leaders who attended included T/A Kabunduli of Nkhata Bay who welcomed Mutharika to Masasa which is located in Nkhata Bay.
As the May 21 Tripartite Elections approach, political parties and independent candidates in Malawi are under pressure to secure votes in the Country’s largest District, Mzimba, which boasts 478, 435 of the Country’s 6.8 million registered voters.
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