UTM disciplines Kalindo
UTM Party says it has cautioned its outspoken director of youth Bon Kalindo over his continued outbursts against the Tonse Alliance administration to which his party is a member.
In an interview yesterday, UTM Party publicity secretary Frank Mwenifumbo said that party secretary general Patricia Kaliati discussed the matter with Kalindo.
He said: “This is not the first time and our secretary general called him over the matter. It is not the first time this has happened. We issued a statement so that everybody is aware that we are not party to it.”
In the statement, Mwenifumbo said while Kalindo may have genuine concerns, the manner in which he raised and conveyed the sentiments was not appropriate.
Kaliati could not be reached for comment, but Kalindo denied being summoned or talking to Kaliati.
Sounding charged, he said he owed no one an apology as he was speaking on behalf of Malawians feeling the impact of rising commodity prices.
He said: “This is a war that I have started and people are supporting me morally, not with money. People must know that Kalindo is not a coward, and I will not stop because I am a UTM member. This is not a UTM or MCP issue, it is an issue affecting Malawians. Things are not fine.”
The comedian-cum-politician Kalindo has since last week been granting media interviews, blaming President Lazarus Chakwera’s administration of failing Malawians.
He has also taken a swipe at Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who is UTM Party president, accusing him of failing Malawians through unfulfilled promises from the election campaign.
Kalindo has since organised street protests starting with Blantyre this Friday, where he wants Malawians to express their anger against a government he says they trusted when voting it into power in June 2020.
In an interview yesterday, University of Malawi political scientist Mustafa Hussein and his counterpart at Mzuzu University, Chrispine Mphande, said they believe the issues could have been addressed internally.
Hussein said Kalindo is raising pertinent issues, but should have engaged the party leadership.
He said: “As a person in the ranks, he should have used all the channels within the party. He is not the first and may not be the last to speak about these issues. If the party does not have structural mechanisms to handle such issues, this is their wake-up call.
“What Kalindo is highlighting are genuine concerns and the UTM as a component in the Tonse Alliance should pay attention to them.”
Mphande said Kalindo, as one of the first people who supported Chilima before breaking away from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to form UTM Party, sounds frustrated, especially with lack of a clear agreement with other Tonse Alliance partners.
“The Tonse Alliance must address these things. People are coming out strongly because they feel frustrated,” he said.
Last week, Chakwera admitted that Malawi is in an economic crisis, but said the painful prescriptions to cure the domestic economy give hope of recovery.
In his address when he officially opened the Economics Association of Malawi (Ecama) 2021 Annual Lakeshore Conference in Mangochi, the President said the economy was severely damaged by three decades of bad governance, cycles of natural disasters, months of political instability and waves of Covid-19 pandemic.
The Tonse Alliance is made up of MCP, UTM Party, Umodzi Party, People’s Party, People’s Transformation Party (Petra), Progressive People’s Movement (PPM), Alliance for Democracy (Aford) and Malawi Forum for Unity and Development (Mafunde).
