UTM birth: From Chilima Movement to political party

It all started with former first lady Callista Mutharika’s leaked WhatsApp message. In April 2018, in a message shared on a WhatsApp group for former members of Parliament (MPs), Callista said Vice-President Saulos Chilima would be a better candidate to lead the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections.

Her stand shocked many, considering she is President Peter Mutharika’s sister-in-law. Thus, it stirred debate among Malawians, with some commentators wondering what the relationship between Callista and her brother-in-law was like.

Weeks went by as the debate on the issue continued. While some commentators said it was just Callista’s mere opinion, some said it signified deep intra-party problems within the DPP.

In her remarks, Mzuzu-based commentator Emily Mkamanga said while Callista was entitled to her opinion, her statement had divided the party in one way or the other and attracted negative reactions from other members of the party.

But another political commentator, Humphrey Mvula, observed that Callista was not an ordinary person in the country’s politics or the DPP.

He said DPP was using policies that were formulated during the late Bingu wa Mutharika’s time and for Callista, who was the late Bingu’s wife, to choose to speak through other channels signified a lack of intra-party democracy in the governing party.

Barely weeks after Callista’s sentiments, divisions became apparent in the party, with some key members openly warning Mutharika to seriously reconsider his position in light of the May 21 elections.

Some of the members that spoke out included the party’s then national director of youth Louis Ngalande, Mulanje West MP Patricia Kaliati, Mulanje South MP Bon kalindo, Blantyre City South MP Allan Ngumuya and Blantyre City East MP Noel Masangwi.

With strong resistance from DPP gurus to have Chilima as the party’s torchbearer in May 21 Tripartite Elections, the ‘Chilima Movement’ was born. Some of its members started meeting with people at grassroots level, telling them to support the VP and start campaigning for him.

While all this was happening, Chilima remained silent on the movement. However, the Chilima Movement pioneers never backed down—they carried on their meetings with the grassroots.

But some DPP members approached by the Chilima Movement wondered if they could trust Chilima to carry on with development projects that are being implemented by Mutharika.

Citing what happened with the late Bingu, who formed the DPP after ascending to the presidency on a United Democratic Front (UDF) ticket, district committee members wondered if Chilima could be trusted to stay in the DPP if he was to be given a chance to lead the party.

With Chilima still silent about the movement and the divisions that had been created, in May 2018, Mutharika sent a three-member delegation to meet the VP at his official residence in Lilongwe’s Area 12 to convince him to dismiss the Chilima Movement and make a statement on the divisions that had arisen.

The delegation included Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Samuel Tembenu and Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka. But the VP dismissed the trio, and later a meeting between Mutharika and Chilima was organised to map the way forward.

In June, Chilima addressed the press in Lilongwe where he announced his resignation from DPP, saying he would announce his next move later.

Later in July, speaking in an interview on privately-owned Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS), Chilima declared his intent to be on the presidential ballot in the May elections. In the same month, Chilima launched the United Transformation Movement (UTM) with members of the then Chilima Movement.

The launch took place on July 21 at Masintha Ground in Lilongwe where Chilima also unveiled his 12-point plan. The DPP later claimed the VP had stolen the party’s ideas to come up with his 12-point plan.

After the launch, some prominent personalities started joining the party, including former Malawi Congress Party (MCP) vice-president and Speaker of Parliament Richard Msowoya, businessperson Newton Kambala and comedian Michael Usi.

But it has not been an easy road for UTM since its launch in July.

Barely weeks after its launch, government reviewed the VP’s security detail, a move commentators said was due to the bad blood between Mutharika and Chilima. In August, the VP’s security detail was reinstated following a High Court order. Later the same month, the two parties agreed on an out of court settlement.

As if that was not enough, the registrar of political parties in October rebuffed UTM’s registration on the basis that the use of the abbreviation instead of the full name was a deliberate scheme to mislead the registrar because there is another registered political party using a similar name. It turned out the other party was Kambala’s United Transformation Party (UTP).

However, High Court Judge John Chirwa on November 2 ordered the registrar of political parties to register UTM as a party within seven days. Attempts made by then Attorney General Charles Mhango to have the registration turned down proved futile as the court said there was no justification for the appeal.

The same month, lawyer Bob Chimkango also appealed against the registration but the same court also threw out the application on the basis that it was “hopeless”.

Finally, UTM Party was registered, and later held its convention on December 17 2018 where Chilima went unopposed as president. He is expected to be the party’s torchbearer in the May 21 Tripartite Elections.