The president of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has promised to end president and veep rivalry.
Chakwera spoke this during the presentation of nomination papers in Blantyre at Mount Soche for the coming July presidential elections.
According to him, vice Presidents in Malawi have been mistreated, underutilized and slandered but UTM leader Saulos Chilima’s courage has confronted such ills.
“God has given us Dr Chilima whose courage has confronted this disease and answered the call to cure it on behalf of Malawians, and that is destiny,” said Chakwera.
Since multiparty reign in Malawi, there have been disagreements between presidents and veeps.
First multiparty President Bakili Muluzi fell out with his hitherto beloved Vice, Justin Malawezi, at the very end of his 10 year rule. so did the late President Bingu wa Mutharika with his Vice Dr. Cassim Chilumpha so early in his presidency, who he incarcerated on some trumped-up treason charges.
In 2009, Bingu wa Mutharika chose Joyce Banda as his running mate. The relationship between the President and his Vice, Joyce Banda, deteriorated at an alarming speed.
It is well documented that their relationship had become increasingly tense as the President’s desire to position his younger brother, Peter Mutharika, as the next president became obvious.
Joyce Banda’s resistance resulted in her dismissal from the position of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Vice President on December 12, 2010.
In 2017, Khumbo Kachale left Peoples Party (PP) which was led by Joyce Banda who took the president position after Bingu wa Mutharika died.
According to Kachale, he had a bad relationship with People’s Party (PP) members as he was accused of eyeing the presidential position in the party.
After Peter Mutharika and Saulos Chilima were sworn in power in 2014, Chilima saw first hand the rising wanton abuse of public resources and his boss’s incapacity to reign in his vultures.
He proposed Public Service Reforms, but to his frustration, Mutharika clipped his wings just when they were ready to be implemented, a fate suffered by other veeps on account of the Constitution’s neutering of the Vice President’s office.
Chilima announced his decision to not stand against him in the race for the DPP nomination at that convention in 2019,
Chilima moved quickly to dump Mutharika’s party and launch his own called UTM
Meanwhile, Chakwera has appointed Chilima to be his running-mate in the coming presidential elections.
