By Linda Kwanjana
One thing that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) bigots supporting Arthur Peter Mutharikas candidature in 2025 should know for sure is that Malawians are not fools.
The events of the past two weeks or so are quite foolish.
It started with the northern region leadership of the party led by former Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe claiming that the entire region wants Mutharika to stand again in 2025.
To avoid being outwitted, the DPP central regional committee followed suit with their endorsement of the former president’s candidature in the next presidential race.
Every Malawian who follows local politics knew that the litany of endorsements would continue to every level of the party’s leadership including at the Branch level. As it is now, fears are that it can go as far as the family level.
The southern region committee went a bit too far because it is outrageous in democratic Malawi to say the DPP belongs to the southern region.
Our colleagues in the north spoke. The central region committee spoke. And we said no, we are the owners of the party in the southern region. So Sir! Whether one likes it or not, APM is standing again in 2025, screamed one of the speakers during their caucus at the regional office in Sunny Side Township on Monday
.
Now, as I have already said, Malawians are not fools. We know the gimmick APMs camp in DPP is playing.
Through his spokesperson Shadreck Namalomba, APM has told the nation that he is still consulting and praying on what decision to make following the endorsements.
One would ask, who is APM consulting? Namalomba goes further to say his boss is happy that the endorsements are even coming from people from remote areas.
When you are living in a fools paradise, you think everybody is also a fool. Malawians know that Mutharika is not standing again and that all this hullaballoo going on is to clear the way for Dalitso Kabambe.
Two factors have prompted the APM ayimenso campaign. The Mutharika camp knows that once the embattled DPP vice president for the south Kondwani Nankhumwa wins the presidency candidature at the forthcoming convention, Thyolo or the family has lost grip on the party.
Secondly, they are sure that Kabambe, who currently has not held any substantive position in DPP, cannot win against Nankhumwa. Their wish to have the former Reserve Bank Governor as a presidential candidate in 2025 is non-existent.
The plan is to have the APM ayimenso campaign gain momentum, which will lead to other aspirants withdrawing from the race and rallying behind him. The battle at the convention will be between APM and Nankhumwa.
Nankhumwa will definitely be scorned, intimidated and even put his life in danger. It will not be an easy road to the convention for the power hungry Kondwani George Malemia Nankhumwa.
The strategy is to have APM resign at some point after winning during the convention and appoint Kabambe as acting president of the party. The whole scheming is to have Kabambe, the homeboy, take over the DPP leadership by hook or crook.
It is just a confirmation that the DPP is a family party because Kabambe is APMs nephew. Malawians cannot be fooled to think that the DPP is going through a cleansing process. NO!
