The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has labelled the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) as hysterical and selective in activism and has strongly urged it to refrain from poking its nose into the affairs of the party, saying the HRDC aided the removal of the DPP from government.
This comes as HRDC through its end of the year statement faulted the opposition DPP for its failure to provide checks and balances on the Tonse Alliance Government, especially in the just ended year, 2023.
The coalition said internal conflicts which have rocked the party have diverted leaders’ focus from overseeing government actions as Kondwani Nankhumwa who is the Leader of Opposition in Parliament is always in court tussling with the party President Peter Mutharika instead of holding government to account and offering alternative solutions to problems facing people in the country.
“The opposition’s role as a check and balance on the government has been severely compromised by internal conflicts within the DPP. Instead of focusing on their critical oversight role, leaders in the opposition have been entangled in internal disputes, wasting valuable time on court battles and press briefings that castigate one another,” reads part of HRDC statement.
Responding to the accusations, DPP through a Friday press statement which has been signed by the party spokesperson Shadric Namalomba, while labelling the claims as hysterical and selective in activism, warned HRDC against poking its nose into the affairs of their party.
The DPP says it is very surprising that HRDC wants the party to provide checks and balances when in 2018 the coalition mobilised violent extremism, mobilised violent groups from Nsundwe and other mobs in selected parts of Lilongwe and Mzuzu, with one agenda of regime change.
“DPP is particularly concerned with increasing hypocrisy where HRDC displays highest levels of selective advocacy that are characterised with pathological hatred for DPP. It is rather ironic that it is HRDC that maliciously drove DPP out of the government and now it wants DPP to help govern this country.
“We strongly urge HRDC to rethink and refrain from poking their noses into the affairs of DPP. We make the following observations and caution. HRDC plotted against DPP Since 2018, HRDC orchestrated destructive demonstrations that were designed to bring down the DPP. HRDC connived with the then opposition parties. They joined forces with MCP’s Lazarus Chakwera, and they marched in the streets together with UTM’s Saulosi Chilima, and their party supporters with the sole aim of persuading people away from DPP,” reads part of the statement.
DPP further says HRDC lacks political neutrality as up to date, it is neither able to criticize the Tonse Administration, MCP and the Lazarus Chakwera administration, nor organize demonstrations against corruption, nepotism and all other clearly irregularities taking place in the Chakwera administration.
The party adds that it is convinced that if it were during DPP administration, HRDC would have mobilised nationwide protests against the 44% devaluation, and the massive price increases which are severely affecting the cost of living, but sadly, HRDC lost its teeth because its agenda was simply to remove DPP in government.
The opposition party argues that HRDC has no moral ground to criticize DPP. According to the DPP, the Tonse government has failed and so too has the coalition.
The DPP has since strongly cautioned HRDC to stay away from DPP saying it has no single iota of credibility because the organisation has proven to be an extension of Tonse Alliance.
“HRDC should rediscover itself and begin to hold the Chakwera administration accountable for unleashing enormous and untold misery on Malawians who voted them into power. We encourage Malawians to question HRDC’s effectiveness in scrutinizing the government and its role in unbiased and objective advocacy,” added the party.
The party continued by saying it is rising and it will win the 2025 elections, with or without HRDC’s hypocrisy and selective activism.
