Chilima scoffs at DPP threats

Vice State President Dr Saulos Chilima has scoffed at threats to individual citizens of the country by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) saying politics of intimidation is long gone.

Addressing thousands of his supporters at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre Sunday afternoon, Chilima said instead of threatening people, DPP should find ways of ending hunger and other chronic problems that have engulfed the country.

“We already dealt away with this habit of threatening one another long long time ago. We are in democracy now,” said an energetic Chilima.

He likened the DPP to ‘little kids’ (ndinu mafana kwambiri) to intimidate him and innocent Malawians.

As second in command in government, Chilima also cautioned Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and Malawi Police Service (MPS) against obeying ‘foolish orders’ of intimidating innocent citizens.

Chilima promised that once voted into power in the forthcoming fresh presidential elections, his government will embark on a construction of 20, 000 houses starting with the MDF, MPS, Prison Services and the Immigration Department saying funds for the project have already been identified.

Additionally, Chilima told the rally that he has also secured a K75 billion fund for loans to business people including women and the youth.

Chilima who was reinstated to his position as Vice President after the Constitutional Court nullified the May 2019 elections, also had some light moments, taking a jibe at President Peter Mutharika’s decision to dissolve his cabinet a few days ago.

“Cabinet is dissolved! They are now just the two of us left in cabinet!” said Chilima in a sarcastic reference to himself as Vice President and Mutharika as President who always remain in cabinet as per constitutional provisions.

The Njamba UTM rally was the first in the Southern Region since the constitutional court’s cancellation of the 2019 presidential elections.

The rally attracted a huge crowd from surrounding areas like Manja, Nkolokosa, Zingwangwa, Chilobwe, Manase, Ndirande, Chilomoni and Soche among others who walked to the venue and were not ferried in trucks from far away areas.