DPP, analyst speak on Atupele bid
Governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) says it has no problem with Cabinet minister in the Peter Mutharika administration, Atupele Muluzi presenting his presidential nomination papers on his United Democratic Front (UDF) ticket while still serving as minister.
In an interview yesterday, DPP spokesperson Nicholas Dausi described the move by Muluzi, who is Minister of Health, as an exercise of his political and constitutional rights.
But Ernest Thindwa, a political analyst based at the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College, expressed skepticism on Muluzi’s commitment to the presidential bid when he is in the Cabinet of a President he is seeking to unseat.
Muluzi was drafted into Mutharika’s Cabinet in 2014 and has served in several portifolios. His UDF entered into a parliamentary working relationship with DPP and in the run-up to the presentation of presidential election nomination papers, it was widely speculated that he would be Mutharika’s running mate.
Responding to a question on the future of Muluzi in Cabinet while bidding for the presidency, Minister of Information and Communication Technology Henry Mussa said Cabinet appointments were the prerogative of the President.
On the other hand, Thindwa said Muluzi’s submission of nomination papers could be a result of pressure from his party.
He said: “I don’t believe he went to DPP with the entire party. He went there as an individual. This move [presentation of papers] is to make his party appear on the ballot, but I don’t think he can be objective enough to oppose DPP government.”
Prior to the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections Muluzi resigned from the Cabinet of then president Joyce Banda.
Yesterday, UDF spokesperson Ken Ndanga said people should not take Muluzi’s presentation of nomination papers as temporary, insisting the party would contest in the elections.
He said: “We have presented the papers and we will contest. The president has drafted a resignation letter from being an MP.” n
