Date Of Article: 8/1/2002
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Speaker holds Chihana’s fate
By: Gedion Munthali
Speaker of Parliament Sam Mpasu said yesterday he has deferred to the next sitting a decision on a petition by 19 Aford MPs asking him to replace party president Chakufwa Chihana with Ian Mkandawire as their leader in the House. Mpasu said in an interview he did not decide on the issue during the last sitting of Parliament because he received the petition after the House adjourned. “At the next sitting I will circulate copies of the petition to all members of the House and then I will make my decision,” said Mpasu, noting that the next sitting is before the end of the year. The MCP experienced a similar move two years ago when its president Gwanda Chakuamba wrote to Mpasu asking to resume the position of leader of the opposition when he returned from suspension. But Lilongwe Central MP Betson Majoni (MCP) wrote another letter, saying vice president John Tembo, who acted as leader of opposition during Chakuamba’s suspension, would continue in that position. Mpasu circulated the two letters in the House before asking all MCP MPs to leave the House, resolve the matter and report back to him. The MPs voted for Tembo. Returning officer, Lilongwe Mpenu Nkhoma MP Louis Chimango reported Tembo’s victory back to Mpasu, who upheld the decision and hailed the party for resolving its problems without involving the whole House. Meanwhile, Aford acting publicity secretary Norman Nyirenda says Chihana will not step down as leader of the party in the House because there is no justification. “He (Chihana) has indicated that he will continue in the position because he did not do anything wrong warranting removal from his office,” said Nyirenda yesterday in a separate interview. “He was only exercising his democratic right, as an MP, to vote.” Nyirenda argued that if Chihana committed “a crime” necessitating his removal from office then all MPs who supported the Open Terms Bill should also be asked to step down. “If that happens, is it not going to be absurd?” wondered Nyirenda.
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