President Lazarus Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Vice President Saulos Chilima’s UTM are involved in a power struggle in Karonga Central Constituency and a political analyst says the contest has injured the relationship between the two parties.
UTM and MCP which are members of the Tonse Alliance have both fielded a candidate – Frank Mwenifumbo for UTM and Leonard Mwalwanda for MCP – for the November 10 by-election.
During campaign for the by-election in Karonga Central (which is also known as Benghazi), MCP and UTM officials have been castigating each other.
Recently, Minister of Civic Education Mtambo who is supporting MCP said voters should reject political prostitutes while UTM vice president Michael Usi urged voters to choose Mwenifumbo because he has experience.
UTM has been using Chilima’s 2019 presidential campaign promises such as the promise for three meals per day while MCP has been telling voters that if their candidate wins he will be reporting issues directly to the president of Malawi.
Speaking to this publication, political commentator Wonderful Mkhutche said it is not surprising that the two parties have fielded different candidates in the parliamentary election claiming the alliance between MCP and UTM was only for the Fresh Presidential Election.
Mkhutche, however, said that the castigations between the two parties are regrettable looking at the power struggle the two parties have gone through.
“This is politically a battle between UTM and MCP. With a power struggle between them, the one who will carry the day will look at it as triumph over the other. Looking at the power struggle between the two parties, it can be concluded that to a certain level, the relationship between the parties has been injured,” said Mkhutche.
He however said it is good that President Chakwera and Vice President Chilima have stayed away from the parliamentary election as individuals claiming their involvement could have fueled the situation.
Mkhutche then asked UTM and MCP officials and fans to conduct themselves in a civilized manner knowing that they are in an alliance to avoid scattering the alliance and has told Chakwera and Chilima to handle this brief moment of difference with diligence.
Coti mudziwe ndichakuto chipani chili boma ndi mcp basi kulibe dzina loti Tonse Party mboja limenelo.
Chilima anati and I caught, oitanidwa kukadya nsima samwa stoup of caught. Anzao a mayi banda ndi a kachale aliphee, koma kujijilika tilimboma aaaaa. Inde monga Nduna otumidwa president ndi mmodzi basi.