Blantyre City East Member of Parliament Noel Masangwi has accused former Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Dr. George Chaponda who is also Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Vice President for the South of misleading President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.
Masangwi’s accusation follows a press conference held by Chaponda at the party’s regional offices last week where he openly said President Mutharika will go unopposed at the party’s convention ahead of the 2019 polls.
In a statement posted on DPP National Governing Council (NGC) WhatsApp group Masangwi said Chaponda has no mandate to be commenting on DPP Constitution because his very position is not provided for in the constitution.
“In fact many of those that are misleading the president today were merely appointed to their positions and not elected at any convention. This is the reason why some of us want to meet the President and explain to him properly about the concerns of the people in the party and explore the direction that we can take.
“We feel Peter Mutharika is a reasoning and upright person who has the best interest of the DPP at heart. He is a good person but he has always been a victim of bad advice from a few misguided advisors. We do not want our President to be embarrassed by the turn of events in the DPP, and in the same vein we believe he cannot let the whole party to suffer because a few people have chosen to be blind. Our party is a big organization, and we must not let it to be reduced into a butt of jokes through the actions of a few selfish individuals,” wrote Masangwi.
He added: “Is it not already embarrassing that we should actually be told by other people to go and read our own constitution before going public to embarrass ourselves? How far are we prepared to go as individuals to serve our personal interest over the interests of the party? Our president should be advised to call an NGC meeting as a matter of urgency where these issues should be resolved. Those people calling for the Chilima’s candidacy next year should not just be dismissed outright; they should also be given a fair hearing because they are bona-fide members with every right to be heard.
“The shadow-boxing that is currently raging through the party must not be allowed to go on at any cost. Time is certainly not on our side because we need to redirect our energies towards fighting a common enemy. The in-fighting is doing us more harm than good; we may just end up giving government to others on a silver platter.”
When contacted for comment DPP spokesperson Francis Kasaila urged Masangwi to follow proper channels in addressing his concerns.
