Veteran politicians Brown Mpinganjira, popularly known as BJ, and Friday Jumbe were yesterday welcomed into the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) fold by the party’s Southern Region committee.

In an interview, Mpinganjira said he has joined the party, which is one of the main Tonse Alliance partners, to be part of those providing solutions to challenges Malawians are facing.

He dismissed greed as his main reason for joining MCP, adding that he brings value to the party.

Said Mpinganjira: “I entered politics in the 1990s at a very dangerous time. My passion, then, was to serve the people of Malawi. My passion today, is to serve the people of Malawi.

Kazembe (L) welcomes Mpinganjira to the party

“I have my own beliefs about what ought to happen. All of us know the problems facing the world today, not just Malawi. In fact, Malawi may be slightly better off than most other countries. Now with all these challenges, one has to decide whether he or she has to be an agent of change or be with people that want to heap more misery on others.”

Mpinganjira, who most recently was Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson, said he wants to alleviate Malawians’ suffering by getting affiliated to MCP and that he wants President Lazarus Chakwera to amass votes in the 2025 general elections.

He further said he does not believe that it is impossible for Chakwera to contest in the next elections.

In a separate interview, MCP deputy secretary general Gerald Kazembe said they are not going to block anybody from joining the party.

“They have done this on free will, they realise that it is important to love their country and help President Lazarus Chakwera for the better cause of Malawians,” he said.

Kazembe said the party believes that Mpinganjira and Jumbe have joined the party sincerely, adding that they will add value in the long term.

Reacting to the development, political analyst Humphrey Mvula said Mpinganjira and Jumbe have potential to help MCP widen their support base in the South.

He said: “We have to look at this in a broader context. MCP doesn’t have a large following in the South and it will, therefore, accommodate anyone in the party who has potential to woo more supporters.”

Mpinganjira is a founding member of the United Democratic Front (UDF). Under the UDF regime, he served in various ministries, including Foreign Affairs, Information and Transport and Public Works. He was, however, dropped from Cabinet in 2000.

In 2004 when UDF’s former president Bakili Muluzi was agitating for a third term, Mpinganjira founded the now defunct National Democratic Alliance that contested in that year’s general elections, but lost.

On the other hand, Jumbe served as Minister of Finance and Economic Planning during the UDF regime. In 2009, he became interim leader of UDF and in 2012, he was the party’s acting president.

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