The Secretary-General of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Richard Chimwendo Banda, has called on traditional leaders across the country to accommodate all political parties and allow them to hold rallies freely.
Chimwendo made the remarks during an MCP rally held at Chatata Ground in the Lilongwe City Centre Constituency.
He emphasized that Malawi is a peaceful nation that embraced multiparty democracy, which guarantees every political party the right to campaign and hold rallies anywhere in the country.
“We want to be safe as a party, and we want our colleagues and the entire country to be safe too. We do not want violence,” Chimwendo said.
Meanwhile, the MCP Director of Youth, Baba Steve Malondera, urged city councils to act with compassion in the enforcement of city bylaws. He criticized the confiscation of goods from small-scale vendors, many of whom rely on loans from institutions such as the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) to run their businesses.
“We want city officials to have a human face and realize that their actions are affecting innocent Malawians — women and young people in particular. The city must stop these operations until we engage in dialogue and find humane and sustainable ways to support vendors across the country,” said Baba.
Senior Chief Chatata also appealed to the Government to urgently provide maize relief, noting that parts of the central region have been hit by dry spells and hunger is already affecting communities.
In response, Chimwendo assured the public that the Government is already distributing maize and providing support through the Social Cash Transfer Programme to mitigate the crisis. He concluded his address by urging people in the area to vote for President Lazarus Chakwera and Gift Nankhuni as Membe
