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DPP, MCP trade barbs over nepotism

Blantyre City Central Member of Parliament (MP), Themba Mkandawire (Democratic Progressive Party—DPP) on Tuesday attracted the wrath of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) members in the House when he alleged that the former ruling party had more nepotistic and tribalistic tendencies during its 30-year-rule.

Mkandawire was making his contribution to the 2014/15 budget statement which Minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe presented to Parliament.

Dzoole Mwale: This is provocation
Dzoole Mwale: This is provocation

But Mkandawire diverted from his core remarks to start castigating policies of previous governments.

“Tribalism, regionalism and nepotism were worse during 30 years of MCP rule. I wonder how the leader of opposition can say there is nepotism and tribalism now when almost all PSs [principal secretaries] during the MCP era were from the Central Region. Who can dispute that a lot of people from other regions were marginalised and castigated?” he said.

Mkandawire added that the DPP-led administration had managed to include Cabinet ministers from across the country and that development initiatives such as the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme were spread nationwide.

Mkandawire also hit a sore spot on the MCP side of the House when he said Cashgate did not start two years ago, but in 1964 in the form of one family accumulating wealth, implying that of former president Kamuzu Banda.

But MPs for Lilongwe North East Maxwell Thyolera and Lilongwe Msozi South Vitus Dzoole Mwale described Mkandawire’s remarks as provocation.

“This is a new MCP. The 30 years he was referring to everyone was a member, so to allege that MCP was tribalistic and nepotistic is not true. We had people like Robson Watayachanga Chirwa in the Cabinet and many from the South, not this time when we have 16 ministers from the South and only one from the Central Region,” Thyolera said.

Commenting on Mkandawire’s remarks about Cashgate, Dzoole Mwale said DPP was merely trying to distract Malawians and that during the MCP era, names of people who stole from government would have been known.

There has been growing talk of secession and federalism led by legislators and professionals from Central and Northern regions following DPP’s trend of appointments of public officers since the party returned to power in May this year.

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