By Che Ngwedemule Adyamani
If there is one joke to have come from the DPP in 2022, then this one surpasses them all. And to think that The Nation with their senior news analyst Frank Namangale would turn to Mr Francis Mphepo for an opinion on the status of this party, buffles me.
Firstly, Mr Mphepo holds no elected position in the Party. He is just an Adminstrative Secretary whose job is being a custodian of office keys and files.
He is actually the broken system himself who doesn’t deserve to stand anywhere near the party.. See how he is attributing the “broken system” to the Leader of Opposition in Parliament yet the DPP problems are way beyond Parliamentary business.
The right people to talk to in the absence of the Spokesperson were NGC members, Regional Governors, Membership at District and even Constituency level including MPs. Then Nation could have even tried to reach out to the DPP President Peter Mutharika because in all this the question is “WHERE IS APM?”.
The NGC has never met as an entity to discuss party issues. Infact, you would expect that after the 2020 fresh Presidential poll loss, the party met to do a postmortem, but nay, it has never met. The DPP has also suffered some losses during by-elections recently, but Mr Mphepo and company have never seen wisdom in calling for an NGC meeting to discuss this poor showing.
The Regional and District Committees are almost dead, there are just there on paper. Decisions of the party are done by Mr Mphepo and few others without consulting NGC membership. And today, old Mr Mphepo wants to become “the wiseman” hipping the blame on Parliament business? No Mr Mphepo
There was a functional review that made several recommendations regarding changes and governance in the party, a very good document, but that report was swept under the carpert by Mr Mphepo and his few Lomwe fellas.
Next time The Nation, do an investigative and comprehensive analysis of the DPP. Give us a break from Mr Mphepo. Him is so compromised and would always take sides. Talk to the people on the ground not these people that have captured APM and a running affairs of the Party as their own farm.
Mr Mphepo in 2022? sounding relevant and all wise? He doesn’t even understand what a broken system looks like.
Francis Mphepo just needs to be shoved aside and usher in a fresh crop of young, energetic DPP members who will literally and easily adjust to current ways of doing politics. His time is over and he needs to retire honourably other than getting a boot at the convention. DPP without deadwood should thrive. There are some young men who messed up the party big time. They took the party as only belonging to one tribe, “enawo siathu” mentality killed the enthusiasm from other members not belonging in that tribe. Next leadership should be open, be prepared to bring into their fold Malawians who are willing to work not along tribal lines. Kwantele wadziponyera yekha JOKER.