Chakwera angers DPP for reporting candidate’s ‘threats to life’ to donors not police

The ruling Government, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)  has criticized leader of opposition Lazarous Chakwera for taking issue  of alleged threats to life of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate for Nsanje Lalanje  to members of diplomatic community.

Chakwera on Tuesday wrote a letter  copied to US embassy, Germany, European Union, British High Commission and the United Nations to report that Lawrence Sitolo who contest for Nsanje Lalanje Constituency  parliamentary by-elections slated for October 17 is living in danger as DPP cadets are after his life.

However, DPP officials addressed a press conference at central office of  information in Lilongwe, said Chakwera should have reported the matter to “right institutions” such as Malawi Electoral Commission and Police and not donors.

“If MCP has evidence that their candidate is receiving threats, let them go and report to police. MCP does not need to be reminded that issuance of threats is a crime. The responsible agency for handling such cases is the Police.

“MCP is trying to drag members of the diplomatic community into partisan  politics,”government spokesman Nicholous Dausi said.

DPP spokesman Francis Kasaila also said what MCP has done is depicting that the party is desperate.

” It is very clear that our colleagues in MCP are becoming desperate. They are just creating the issue. They thought people of lower shire, are up for sale . But these people have principles,” he said.

But MCP insists that in such circumstances, what they have done is right.

MCP deputy secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka said police and MEC are compromised which can not be helpful.

“We have no confidence in them. We have written donors because a diplomatic note is a standard practice anywhere in the world, there is nothing abnormal about it,” said Mkaka.

In his letter, Chakwera says DPP top brass are persuading Sitolo to receive K100 million and withdraw his MCP membership then contest as an independent candidate or even withdraw from the race altogether to get a diplomatic posting with cash makeweight of K50 million.

He has also been offered to receive an MP’s salary and relate benefits from government if he does not contest.

Chakwera called an immediate intervention of the diplomatic community to help in investigating the matter and ask Peter Mutharika to stop what the people are doing.