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| National |
| Axed MPs hit out at Chihana |
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by
Francis Tayanjah-Phiri, 04 April 2003
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Two Aford MPs have accused party president Chakufwa Chihana of removing them and six others from parliamentary committees because they refused to support the now irrelevant third term bill, but deputy Chief Whip Chrispin Mphande has dismissed the statement.
Aford reshuffled its allocation of MPs to parliamentary committees on March 1.
Mzuzu City MP Rodger Nkhwazi and Vincent Mapesi Gondwe MP for Rumphi West said in an interview Chihana has removed all MPs opposed to his policies from parliamentary committees.
Other casualties of the reshuffle are Mponda Mkandawire, Kampunga Mwafulirwa, Bitwell Kawonga, Clement Salima, Webster Kameme and Green Mwamondwe.
“Why should he and his henchmen continue hammering us for our stand on the Third Term issue? They should not forget that it is our right as parliamentarians to serve in these parliamentary committees, which are supposed to be independent of party politics,” said Mapesi Gondwe, in an interview.
But Mphande said the party was right to drop the MPs who contradicted their president, saying appointing members to serve in the committees was political parties’ prerogative.
“Even in football, if you differ and anger your coach, you risk being placed on the bench as a substitute. In political parties it is the same, if you are rude to your president and party, how do you expect to represent your party at any forum?” asked Mphande.
He accused the dropped MPs of not telling the truth by pointing fingers at Chihana when everyone in the party knows that lists of names to serve on committees are prepared by the whips and not the president.
Mphande also said the axed parliamentarians were punished because they went around conducting meetings to criticise and castigate Chihana not for their different stand on the third term.
Mapesi Gondwe, who is Aford spokesman for finance, was removed from the Budget and Finance Committee and the Education, Science and Human Resources Committee.
On his part, Nkhwazi wondered why other MPs were allocated to serve on several House committees.
“Why should they allocate several committee positions to single individuals and rob some of us a chance to serve in any single committee,” said Nkhwazi, advising that Chihana must defuse tension he has created with some of his MPs and concentrate on building the party towards 2004 elections.
The two parliamentarians alleged that Frank Mwenifumbo is on four committees and Khwauli Msiska serves on three committees.
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