CDEDI Wants President Laz to Discipline Harry Mkandawire For Demeaning Veep Chilima

Center for Democracy Economic Initiative (CDEDI) has written the President Lazarus Chakwera to discipline second vice president for the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Harry Mkandawire for uttering insensitive remarks against state vice president Saulos Chilima.

According to the statement seen by Face of Malawi reporter signed by CDEDI chairperson Sylvester Namiwa, there is an audio clip that is making rounds on social media from Mkandawire and is lambasting vice president Chilima.

According to Namiwa, in the audio clip Mkandawire is arguing that the powers possessed by the vice president is not equal to those of the president and that he (Chilima) should not be acting as if he is the president of te country.

The whole issue started in Karonga when Mkandawire unveiled an MCP candidate for the upcoming by elections in the district as part of campaign he (Mkandawire) said the first ones to benefit from the Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (MEDEF) are MCP supporters.

Mkandawire further went on reminding people that gathered at the ceremony that on the ballot during the June 23 fresh presidential elections there was the face of Chakwera and no one else adding that it is MCP that is ruling the country.

In the statement CDEDI said that the remarks by Mkandawire are coming at a time where President Chakwera “avoided to commit Malawians in his inaugural State of National Address (SONA) a road map on how he would work with the National Assembly to ensure that he empowers the office of the Vice President, as per the promise made by the Tonse Alliance partners,”

“It is against this background that CDEDI and indeed all patriotic Malawians are looking forward to hearing from President Chakwera on the steps he is going to take in empowering the Veep’s office,” said Namiwa.

The statement added; “Given the lukewarm approach he has taken to honour his promise, it is not surprising therefore, to hear some MCP party loyalists discrediting the Vice President, barely three months after the two were ushered into the high office.”

Namiwa was quick to remind voters of what Chakwera has been preaching prior to fresh elections regarding the relationship of presidents and their vice in the country saying he (Chakwera) wants to bring change.

“Just to refresh the voters’ memories, President Chakwera in his capacity as the Tonse Alliance torch bearer accused his predecessor Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika for under-utilizing Dr. Chilima and disrespecting the constitutional office, that of the Vice Presidency.

Instead of walking the talk, President Chakwera has all of a sudden developed cold feet on his promise, and has been overtaken by his party zealots who are now fighting the office of the Vice President,”

Despite calls made to Mkandawire to apologies over his remarks, he has insisted that he will not apologies.