Leadership with Compassion Party (LCP) has noted with concerns the behavior of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) members prior to and after the by elections in Karonga particularly Kaporo ward.
According to LCP governor Aggrey Mwanyamba, all along MCP candidate who emerged victorious for the ward, in the past by elections knew that he was not famous to the residents. This was evidenced by how residents of the Kaporo ward continued to remain silent in funerals whenever other parties aspirants including the new MCP councillor were made to speak.
“We were attending a funeral and all aspiring candidates who spoke before me did so without being cheered for including the newly elected councillor. But when LCP was made to speak through our SG and then calling me to stand up, every one clapped hands, cheering and ululating for me. At this juncture we saw the MCP candidate leaving the grave yard in shame and went to stand on the road to wait for people passing by after the funeral. He then started dishing out handouts to the people. But most of them were ignoring the handouts” said Mwanyamba.
“Since then he never appeared again to campaign because he knew that people that side have chosen me to be their upcoming councillor. Such that when we were barred from contesting the majority of Kaporo ward residents did not go to vote that’s why the current councillor won with very few votes,” he added.
The governor of LCP says that to his surprise, MCP after winning the elections decided to come to the area for celebration knowing very well how unpopular they were there.
“I believe MCP wanted to come there to deceive Malawians that they were popular in Kaporo ward when they knew they weren’t. They brought a cow and tins of rice but nobody in the area wanted to be part of the celebration. This then made them to go and start bringing people from town. They brought about six vehicles with strangers to the ward. Then Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma started asking questions like who is the president of Malawi? Anyone amongst the people they brought who said Chakwera were being given money from K50,000 to K100,000. Another question used was, Who is the new Councillor for Kaporo ward? Anyone who said Kingsley was also loaded with the same kinds of money”
According to the LCP governor such conducts are very unfortunate because one can gain nothing by pretending to be somebody when they are not.
Mwanyamba went further to claim that during the just ended by-elections held by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), MCP candidate King Ngayambinga Mvula who was declared winner for Kapolo Ward was not the legitimate winner.
“Just by the party hiring strangers and bringing them from Karonga boma to the ward to attend the celebrations, is a big signal to MCP of their being unwelcome to the ward.This is a clear indication that the people in the area are not happy with Mvula’s win,” added Mwanyamba.
Effort to talk to MCP officials on the matter proved futile.
