UTM secretary general Patricia Kaliati has apologised to Malawians for failed campaign promises saying Chilima will implement the UTM manifesto in 2025.
Speaking at the Chinamwali Ground in Zomba, when she welcomed some members from the DPP and UDF to their party, Kaliati said the party has no control over the running affairs of the government.
“Tinkanena kuti anthu adzadya katatu ndi Ife, Omwe ananena za ma mega farm ndi Ife, Tikuvomela kuti ndi Ife, omwe tinkati feteleza mudzagula wotchipa. Tikuti pepani, wapakaliyala samaimba belo,” she said.
She, however, said Malawians should no longer worry as Dr. Saulos Chilima will implement the UTM manifesto in 2025 and beyond. Former UDF vice president for the eastern region, Hashim Banda, was among those welcomed into UTM.
In 2020, many people believed Malawi was a country on the rise, and its democracy was a beacon of hope.
In 2019, violent demonstrations followed the results of a general election that saw the former president, Peter Mutharika, declared winner. The vote, widely perceived to be rigged, was contested by the opposition MCP and UTM. In the end, constitutional court judges ruled to reject the election outcome although they found that the irregularities did not advantage Mutharika to win or disadvantage Chakwera to lose that election but a fresh Presidential election was declared.
The presidential election was held again, votes recast and the Tonse Alliance – a union of the two main opposition parties – emerged victorious. The leaders, Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party and Saulos Chilima of the United Transformation Movement, vowed to fight corruption.
In September 2020, a rights group warned President Lazarus Chakwera against shelving Tonse Alliance campaign promises, saying the Chakwera administration would be branded as a team of liars if it failed to deliver on the promises.
Executive Director of Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) Sylvester Namiwa issued the warning at a press briefing.
According to Namiwa, the Tonse Alliance administration was changing, deferring or at worst keeping mum on most of its flagship promises which were very attractive to the Malawian voters.
