The Freedom of Worship Association (FOWAM) has urged the main opposition party, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), to get organized so that it should be holding the government accountable on issues of public interest.
FOWAM president Prophet David Mbewe said the opposition is key to checks and balances which is an integral recipe of a mature and complete democratic dispensation.
Prophet Mbewe added that the opposition in a government system ensures that acts of the ruling party are not detrimental to the interests of Malawians.
The FOWAM president further noted that the typical attestation to this is the outstanding performance of late Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika during his first term, a time that Malawi registered the most vibrant opposition in parliament.
Mbewe said it is very worrisome that the main opposition party, DPP is under chronic divisions a development which he said is putting the state of democracy in Malawi under serious threat.
According to Mbewe, the DPP divisions may be taken as advantage to the Tonse government in making decisions that may infringe Malawians because of being unchecked and he appealed to the party to rebrand and get organized for the betterment of the country.
“Currently, the state of democracy in Malawi is under serious threat because of the chronic divisions in the Democratic Progressive Party being the main opposition party. Government may take advantage of such divisions to make decisions that may infringe Malawians because of being unchecked.
“This is the time to ensure smooth transition democratically without imposing anyone on the people. Get organized, regroup, rebrand and serve Malawians by vigilantly and constructively perform the noble duties of holding government accountable,” said Prophet Mbewe.
He continued to say that the significant effect of DPP’s divisions is how it has lost its Nsanje Central and Nsanje North parliamentary seats in a by-election.
He added that the unfortunate part of the divisions in DPP is that they are being perpetrated by the old, greedy, outdated, irrelevant and recycled politicians’ who according to him, are not willing to pave way for young leadership that can rebrand the party and maintain its strongholds.
He then told the DPP youths never to be divided for their destiny but rather motivated for leadership to protect their party from vanishing from the political scene.
