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| National |
| Ntaba booted out of MCP Nec |
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by
Joseph Langa, 28 October 2003
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18:05:44
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Main opposition Malawi Congress Party has booted its suspended publicity secretary Dr Hetherwick Ntaba out of the National Executive Committee (Nec) but Ntaba insists that he is still a member because ‘the Nec that suspended him in Lilongwe never resolved to remove him from the committee’.
The party’s acting publicity secretary Steve Ching’ang’a who last week said that Ntaba was still a Nec member said on Monday, Ntaba ceases to be a Nec member following his suspension as publicity secretary because of his involvement with President Bakili Muluzi’s mother.
He said it was an oversight on his part when he said that Ntaba is still in the Nec and that he is free to attend Nec meetings.
He said Ntaba was a member of the Nec by virtue of his position as publicity secretary, saying his suspension, as the official spokesperson of the party automatically makes him not eligible to sit in the Nec because all members in the committee have positions.
“Any person sitting at the Nec has a position and his (Ntaba’s) position having been removed away from him he can no longer sit at Nec. But he remains as an ordinary member of MCP,” said Ching’ang’a.
But Ntaba suspected foul play in Ching’ang’a announcement and accused some unnamed officials in the party of using him (Ching’ang’a) to fulfil what he described as “their secret political agenda against him”.
“If Ching’ang’a said I cease to be a member of the Nec, he is lying. I have not received any letter to that effect and that was not resolved anywhere. Ask him to give you the letter because I am not aware about what he is saying,” he said.
But Ching’ang’a insisted that (Ntaba’s) suspension remains until Muluzi stops castigating MCP leaders and until Ntaba stops dealing with Muluzi’s mother.
Asked whether Muluzi’s continued castigation of MCP leaders over Ntaba’s suspension can attract Ntaba’s dismissal, Ching’ang’a said: “It is hoped that he (Ntaba) will be able to make the position (of his suspension) clear to the president. It is up to him”. |
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