Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05LILONGWE16
2005-01-10 09:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Lilongwe
Cable title:  

UDF PARTY FRAGMENTATION LEADS TO VIOLENCE,

Tags:  PGOV KDEM PHUM MI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS LILONGWE 000016 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM MI
SUBJECT: UDF PARTY FRAGMENTATION LEADS TO VIOLENCE,
INTIMIDATION

REF: A. 03 LILONGWE 728


B. LILONGWE 15

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000016

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM MI
SUBJECT: UDF PARTY FRAGMENTATION LEADS TO VIOLENCE,
INTIMIDATION

REF: A. 03 LILONGWE 728


B. LILONGWE 15


1. (U) SUMMARY. The expanding rift (reftel A) between
President Mutharika and former President Muluzi, now chairman
of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF),has recently
been punctuated by sporadic violence, allegedly by the
UDF-affiliated Young Democrats. Members of the UDF known to
be allied with Mutharika have been harassed and had their
party-owned vehicles stolen in confrontations with old-guard
party loyalist thugs, and the recent arrests for treason
(reftel B) have increased the UDF's rhetoric against the
current government. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On January 2, allegedly with the blessing of UDF
leadership, a group of Young Democrats confiscated a party
vehicle from a UDF official thought to be on the Mutharika
side of the political division. A district governor was
reportedly beaten up in the incident, which occurred at
Muluzi's home. The Young Democrats unsuccessfully attempted
to retrieve several other vehicles. The vehicle was later
returned to the regional governor, and UDF party officials
have publicly dismissed the incident as theft.


3. (U) On January 5, a deputy minister was harassed by the
Young Democrats because his nephew is an independent
political candidate in the upcoming bi-elections. The
nephew's election would weaken the UDF's position in
Parliament, thus strengthening the influence of Mutharika.
Another UDF governor was attacked at a Mutharika rally in the
area on the same day. The perpetrators, presumed to be Young
Democrats, were later arrested.


4. (U) Late in 2003, a UDF cabinet minister was verbally
harassed and threatened because of his alliance with
Mutharika. The minister, previously held in high regard by
the UDF, was not injured but has clearly alienated the UDF
old-guard. In an effort to distance himself from the
incident, Muluzi denounced such acts and offered a public
apology.


4. (SBU) COMMENT. Though the UDF has no shortage of
political foes, it has obviously turned on itself. The
incidents above illustrate just how deep the division between
party and government has gone. Fueled by the President's
anti-corruption drive and determination not to provide
financial and political support to the party, fundamental
disagreements between the two sides have caused each to lash
out at the other, though in markedly different ways. The UDF
(also known as the Muluzi side),unable to discern where
party influence in governing the country ends, has reverted
to some of its old tactics of intimidation and thuggery, even
if on a petty level. The government, or Mutharika side, has
responded by reducing its political dependence on the UDF and
acting independently. Mutharika's continued assertion that
party and government are not necessarily one and the same has
apparently left Muluzi frustrated, surrounded by an
ever-dwindling circle of allies. In reaction, Muluzi is
taking more extreme measures. Ironically, Muluzi's
propensity for extra-legal actions may make it easier, both
politically and legally, for Mutharika to neutralize Muluzi's
persistent grip on power.
GILMOUR