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MALAWI

POLITICALF NEWS-MCP) members who last month petitioned the High Court against their party president Lazarus Chakwera have lost the case.
The four aggrieved members dubbed ‘Nkholokolo’ (troublemakers) are Stowell Gondwe, former regional chairperson for the North; Bauleni Mkweza, former regional chairperson for the Lakeshore; Angela Chunga and Malita Nasoni, former chairpersons for League of Malawi Women in Dowa East and Nsanje, respectively.
The aggrieved members obtained an exparte injunction restraining their president’s decision to reconstitute the party national executive committee (NEC) by creating new positions and moving existing position holders to other posts which the convention did not elect them to.
Gondwe in his sworn affidavits asked the Court to block the MCP NEC meeting describing it as unconstitutional.
But pronouncing judgement on Tuesday, Judge John Chirwa ruled that there was nothing wrong with the meeting.
The court further argued that the request by Gondwe was just an abuse of court systems and that he has lost the case with costs.
During the MCP national executive committee (NEC) resolved to suspend the party’s first vice president Richard Msowoya and Secretary General (SG) pending disciplinary action for causing “confusion” in the main opposition party.
The party suspended Msowoya and Kaliwo who stayed away from the meeting despite being invited to attend.
The MCP NEC also suspended former spokeswoman Jessie Kabwila, director of foreign affairs Tony Kandiero and Second Deputy Secretary General Chatonda Kaunda who were party to the “troublemakers” group.
The meeting at the MCP headquarters in Lilongwe was called by Chakwera to resolve internal wrangles.
During the same meeting, NEC appointed Eisenhower Mkaka as Secretary General replacing Kaliwo and Reverend Maurice Munthali as acting Deputy Publicity Secretary.
MCP deputy publicity secretary Ezekiel Ching’oma was endorsed as full party Publicity Secretary.
Under Article 14 of the MCP constitution, NEC has powers to suspend or dismiss a member if such members has committed a serious and persistent breach under the constitution provided that the procedure for such action should conform to the rules of natural justice that the accused be heard.
Mkaka has since expressed happiness over the outcome of the case.

MALAWI

POLITICAL NEWS -MCP) has said its legislators will not receive money from the controversial K4 billion special fund.
Last week, Members of Parliament (MPs) approved the allocation to be shared among 193 constituencies for projects.
Mkaka: MCP will reject the funds.
But Deputy Secretary General for main opposition party Eisenhower Mkaka told the local media that the MCP will reject the funds.
He hinted that party president Lazarus Chakwera has now got more information on the funding hence the U-turn.
“This issue happened within two days and the leader of opposition was trying to get as much information on the issue as possible. That is why he made a statement that he does not want to be party to the experiment that government is making with people’s money.
“In other words, he does not want to entertain the so called K3.2 billion,” Mkaka told the local media.
Meanwhile, civil society organisations have hailed MCP for the change of heart saying the party has taken a commendable step.
Minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe initially allocated the money to 86 MPs who blocked the electoral reforms bills last year.
The move was widely condemned and the allocation was deemed illegal since it was not approved by Parliament and there were also questions over the source of the money.
But last week the MPs legalised the funds after government agreed to share the money among all 193 constituencies.

MALAWI

KARONGA-Malani Mtonga has praised President Peter Mutharika in Parliament saying he was a “God-sent leader” who his visionary to develop Malawi beyond recognition despite taking the reigns of power from Joyce Banda at a challenging time when Malawi had lost donors confidence due to cash gate and the floods that hit the nation resulting in drought.
“Let me thank God for giving us leaders in Malawi at such times like this. The President, you as the Speaker of this House from Karonga Nyungwe and the Chief Justice Nyirenda from Usisya, taking these high offices of leadership is something that people of Karonga also appreciate. They do appreciate because you are visionary leaders. It is very important to note that you are not there on your own but it was the finger of God that pointed you. When God’s finger is upon you, no man, no devil and no hell can remove you,” said Mtonga who is also a preacher and former religious adviser to late president Bingu wa Mutharika.



Mtonga cited the Holy Bible that “where there is no vision, people perish,” saying President Mutharika had a vision o ensure food security when he said that no one is going to die of hunger in Malawi.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in this House, we stood and said we should sell maize outside the country. It was an element of lack of vision that we were showing by asking the State President to sell maize outside because by now, we could have been in problems,” he said.
Mtonga said Mutharika’s visionary leadership had that foresight to see that at such a time like this, Malawi will need maize.



“Those with vision are people who put the nation like Malawi first unlike those without the vision who put their own needs and interest first. We see the President putting Malawi first because we have seen a number of things that are happening,” he said.
But Mtonga’s statement attracted point of order from Rumphi East MP Kamlepo Kalua (PP) who asked why Church and Bible issues are being discussed instead of Mid-Term Budget Review Statement.
And Lilongwe North East MP Maxwell Thyolera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP)also asked if it is in order for Mtonga to “ insinuate that telling people to grow enough maize, keep some for consumption and sell the surplus is lack of vision?”



He said : “ This is so because even our extension workers tell farmers to grow more maize and keep enough for consumption and sell the surplus. The same applies to a country when it has enough food and the surplus is sold to other countries. Is that lack of vision? “
But Speaker Richard Msowoya said he is not a development economist and that Mtonga could be speaking “from the point of view of his professional upbringing. I would not argue.”
Continuing with his remarks, Mtonga said without vision one cannot see that the construction projects like Nkhata Bay Road, Rumphi-Hewe Road, and the Njakwa-Livingstonia.