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UDF has said it will discipline members of a committee calling themselves concerned citizens and led by Mike Omar Bagus and Elias Wakuda Kamanga, who on Friday published a statement that spoke against some UDF big wigs because they have breached party discipline and protocol.
UDF secretary general Kenedy Makwangwala said his party does not allow anyone to form any committee without the consent of the executive committee and as such the people have been summoned to face the party’s disciplinary committee.
“These two are our members and they know what we say in UDF so they have to face a disciplinary committee,” said Makwangwala.
The statement signed by Bagus and his interim secretary Wakuda Kamanga was published a day after the UDF national executive committee stopped anyone else, apart from the national chairman, publicity secretary or his deputy and the secretary general or his deputy, from talking to the public.
But Bagus and Kamanga said in their statement that cabinet ministers in the former government who have not made it into the present government should “rest in peace” and concentrate on building the party or “enjoy the fortunes you amassed in the 10 years—no life ministers”.
“If they committed crimes of corruption while in government, we urge the DPP to move swiftly and prosecute them. We want a corrupt free society where all enjoy equal benefits,” said the statement.
The two also said their group is “all smiles” that President Bingu wa Mutharika has started well and that they were wishing him “sweet success during his term of office”.
The statement also lashed out at the UDF big wigs who are said to have formed a task force to discredit Mutharika, describing the development as “barbaric and a deliberate move by the disgruntled people to detract the President from the path he has taken for which many people are happy”.
The group said Mutharika is there to serve the interest of the entire nation and not only of UDF members.
“Remember that failures usually make unproductive noise, stop it,” said the statement.
There is palpable resentment and a rift in UDF following Mutharika’s announcement of a cabinet which left out senior UDF officials as well as disclosures by chief of staff Ken Ng’oma of financial mismanagement by Muluzi’s cabinet.
But the UDF Nec has described these accusations as careless talk and “overzealous criticism and unfounded ridicule” against former president Bakili Muluzi.
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