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| National |
| MCP Nec suspends Ntaba |
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by
Joseph Langa, 24 October 2003
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14:01:28
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Malawi Congress Party National Executive Committee (Nec) has suspended Hetherwick Ntaba as the party’s spokesperson because he gave medical advice and arranged for a surgery in South Africa for President Bakili Muluzi’s mother.
The meeting replaced Ntaba with his deputy Steve Ching’ang’a. He assisted by the party’s deputy secretary general Kate Kainja and legal advisor Louis Chimango.
Ntaba confirmed in an interview on Thursday that he is no longer the publicity secretary of the party and referred the reporter to Ching’ang’a who he also confirmed has replaced him.
“In the matters of the party I am no longer the official publicity secretary. I have been relieved of those responsibilities because of a perceived conflict of interest, which the national executive committee felt,” said Ntaba.
Ching’ang’a also confirmed the development, saying he has indeed temporarily taken over Ntaba’s responsibility as the party’s spokesperson and that Kainja and Chimango will be assisting him on administration and legal matters respectively.
Asked to define his loyalty with MCP after being suspended as spokesperson, Ntaba said: “I am still an MCP member. I haven’t been dismissed from it. I am not resigning from it and I will resist any attempts to dismiss me from the party”.
Sources in the Nec said yesterday the decision to suspend Ntaba came after he refused to bow down to demands by some Nec members who asked him to resign from his position as the official spokesperson of the party.
But Ching’ang’a said the decision was made after the Nec listened to a report delivered by a Nec subcommittee that was set to interview Ntaba on his trip with Muluzi’s mother to have surgery at Morningside Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Sources said the committee comprised party president John Tembo, his first vice Gwanda Chakuamba, second vice Peter Chiona and three regional chairpersons of the party.
Ching’ang’a said after listening to the report the Nec noted that there is a conflict of interest on Ntaba’s part because he cannot effectively discharge his duties as a mouthpiece of the party while at the same time looking after Muluzi’s mother.
He said the Nec learnt from the report presented by the subcommittee that Ntaba went to South Africa on his own without the blessing of the Nec and Tembo as the party president.
“After listening to that report the Nec noted that while Muluzi’s mother is medically being looked after by Ntaba, the State President continues to castigate the leadership of MCP. This is a conflict of interest on the part of Ntaba.
“Consequently, he cannot discharge his responsibilities as the mouthpiece of MCP in defence of MCP in such situations. Honourable Ntaba cannot serve Muluzi’s mother and consult regularly with Muluzi and at the same time effectively defend MCP,” said Ching’ang’a.
Ching’ang’a said Ntaba will not be performing his duties as publicity secretary until he concludes his professional task of looking after Muluzi’s mother and Muluzi ceases to castigate the leadership in MCP. |
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