BY JAMESON CHAULUKA:
United Transformation Movement (UTM) has said its leader Saulosi Chilima will not resign as Vice-President of the Republic of Malawi.
The movement was reacting to calls from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson, Nicholas Dausi, who has asked Chilima to resign for alleging that the ruling party is corrupt to the core.
Dausi said Chilima’s stance on corruption does not make sense since he is the second in command in the administration he has slammed for perpetuating corruption.
“He has been the Vice-President of the same corrupt government for the past four years. He cannot be the Vice- President and then accuse the same government of [indulging in] corruption. He should resign if he is serious about corruption. What is he waiting for?” Dausi said.
But UTM secretary general, Patricia Kaliati, said Chilima was elected Vice-President by Malawians after standing on the ballot with President Peter Mutharika in 2014.
Kaliati wondered why former president Joyce Banda was not forced to resign as vice-president of the country when she established her People’s Party while serving as vice-president in the DPP administration of the late Bingu wa Mutharika.
“They removed him as minister of Disaster Management and head of Public Service Reforms. What else do they want? Dr Chilima will not resign until 2019 because he was chosen by Malawians. They are sponsoring people to watch football on the days we are having our rallies so that people do not patronise our rallies but they have failed,” Kaliati said.
Speaking on Saturday, during UTM’s launch at Masintha Ground in Lilongwe, Chilima accused DPP of promoting corruption.
Chilima said “real thieves” are roaming the streets of the country freely while those who stole chickens are languishing in the country’s prisons.
He made reference to the K145 million allegedly pocketed from a fraudulent transaction between Malawi Police Service and Pioneer Investments.
The money, according to a leaked Anti- Corruption Bureau report, was paid to a DPP account whose sole signatory is the President.
Kaliati claims Malawians want change and expressed hope that UTM would be voted into power next year.
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