DPP cadets pounce on Kaliati

• Kaliati says use of violence will make Chilima popular

Continued attacks and intimidation by alleged Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters against proponents of Vice-President Saulos Chilima’s presidential candidature for the party in 2019, will only make the Veep more popular.

DDP lawmaker for Mulanje South Patricia Kaliati said this today after youth cadets blocked her from entering the National Assembly where President Peter Mutharika was delivering his State Opening Address of the 3rd Meeting in the 47th Session of Parliament and 2018/2019 Budget Meeting.

Kaliati, who is the party’s national director of women, was later allowed to enter Parliament premises after police and some staff at the National Assembly intervened.

In an interview with The Nation, the visibly angry Kaliati accused some top DPP officials of sending the cadets to intimidate her.

However, she challenged the unnamed officials that ‘their tactics will not work’.

Said Kaliati:  “These dirty tactics will only help make the Veep to be more popular. In fact, the number one supporter of Saulosi Chilima is the President himself who picked him in 2014 to be his running mate. Why should I be insulted and attacked for supporting the Presidents own choice.

But the party’s secretary general Greselder Jeffrey distanced the youth cadets from such unbecoming behavior—Read more about this and other stories in tomorrow’s paper Weekend Nation.

Kaliati: Violence will make Chilima popularShe was later allowed to enter after police and some staff at the National Assembly intervened.

In an interview Kaliati challenged unnamed party officials who she accused of sending youths in the party to intimidate her, saying the dirty tactics will only help make the Veep to be popular

She said: “In fact the number one supporter of Saulosi Chilima is the President himself who picked him in 2014 to be his running mate. Why should I be insulted and attacked for supporting the Presidents own choice.

Asked whether she will take up the issue with the party national executive committee (NEC), the outspoken parliamentarian observed that it would be a waste of time to expect the NEC to discipline the overzealous youths.

But the party’s secretary general Greselder Jeffrey has distanced the party’s youths from such unbecoming behavior arguing that all DPP youths were clad in party regalia.

She said in a telephone interview: Did those who were blocked her wear DPP party uniform, maybe it was a personal matter because as a party we have no issues with honourable Kaliati, and she is our MP.”

Kaliati was later spotted at the parliament gates after close of opening of the House, shouting at some party members as they were driving out of the National Assembly premises.