Lilongwe Msinja North legislator Bintony Kutsaira has announced his resignation from the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to become an independent member of Parliament.
University of Malawi’s Chancellor College political science lecturer Mustapha Hussein has since described Kutsaira as a politician without principles, further warning voters against supporting such politicians.
In a WhatsApp response yesterday, Kutsaira confirmed that he is no longer a DPP member and that he has written the Speaker of Parliament asking to be allocated a seat on the independent benches of the august House.
He declined to provide any further information, and did not respond to our question on whether his frequent switches of political allegiance betray voters’ trust.
In his letter to the Speaker, which we have seen, Kutsaira has not stated any reason for leaving the DPP.
He writes: “I wish to advise that I have resigned as a member of the Democratic Progressive Party with immediate effect. I will now represent my constituency as an independent member of Parliament [MP]. In view of the foregoing, kindly allocate me a seat on the Independent [opposition] benches when the House resumes meeting.”
Kutsaira first competed for Lilongwe Msinja North on Malawi Congress Party (MCP} in the 1999 and 2004 general elections before he crossed the floor to join DPP. He later returned to the MCP in 2013, but later left the party to join the People’s Party.
In 2018, former president Peter Mutharika appointed him DPP regional governor (Centre) before drafting him into his Cabinet as minister of Energy. But Kutsaira did not last as he faced the chop in the 2020 Cabinet reshuffle ahead of the June 23 Fresh Presidential Election.
Kutsaira’ political party hopping can be compared to that of former Salima South MP Uladi Mussa, who was christened ‘chenji golo’ (one who switches goal posts) having moved from UDF to DPP, then the People’s Party and later back to DPP during his political career.
Hussein said Kutsaira has demonstrated a lack of principles and voters should not trust him.
