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| National |
| Dismissed UDF members go back |
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by
Bright Sonani, 21 June 2005
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14:11:26
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Two of the eight United Democratic Front (UDF) officials who were dismissed last year and joined the newly formed President Bingu wa Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have gone back to the party.
The UDF announced the comeback of the two; Southern Region director for women affairs Beatrice Kanjala and committee member Basa Kaligomba, over the weekend.
The party said more members were on their back after realising that the DPP was not offering them what they expected such as easy access to the $41 million loan facility.
But the DPP played down the defections saying the two were nonentities in the party.
Kanjala in an interview Sunday confirmed her change of heart and said since she was fired from the UDF last October she has not really been a DPP member.
“All along I have been refusing to comment because I have been fighting for justice. This week we went to see the UDF chairman Bakili Muluzi where we apologised for whatever happened because we realised that it was not really him who dismissed us, but some people like Mr Chikakwiya who had been saying a lot of things against us,” she said.
Kanjala said she went to see Muluzi along Kaligomba and a former UDF shadow MP for Blantyre Kabula Ken Nsonda who is also said to have returned to the party.
She, however, dismissed claims that the three were ‘bought’ to announce their defection and that they have left the DPP because they could not get what they expected from it.
UDF spokesperson Sam Mpasu in a separate interview said people were leaving the DPP because they were disappointed with what was happening in the new party.
“A lot of people went to the DPP believing they would be getting money from the K1 billion loan which was later increased to K5 billion. These people have now realised that the money is not for the party, but for all Malawians,” he said.
Mpasu added: “We knew from the beginning that this is not DPP money and we have been telling our members, but some didn’t believe us.”
DPP spokesperson Hetherwick Ntaba said his party was aware that these people went to see Muluzi where they were given money to announce their defection.
He also labelled the two as UDF plants in the DPP.
“This Kanjala lady had no position at any level. As far as we are concerned she was not even a member, may be an alleged supporter. Kaligomba, yes he was a member, but we are talking of two nonentities while thousands of supporters from all the parties are joining the DPP everyday, why aren’t they making any comments about that?” said Ntaba.
Kanjala and Kaligomba were dismissed from the UDF along with former deputy secretary general Paul Maulidi, social services Director Davies Katsonga, national organising Secretary Salim Bagus and regional executive members Samson Msosa, who was deputy governor, secretary of women’s desk Aretha Wezulo and youth director Aaron Sisito.
Only Katsonga as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Msosa as interim regional governor are the ones who have maintained influential status within the DPP.
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