|
The setting of machinery to bring government and UDF to a round table will not stop President Bingu wa Mutharika’s agenda to fight corruption and bring to book all those involved, Vice President Cassim Chilumpha has said.
Chilumpha was commenting Friday on assertions that the current political bickering between the UDF and government is due to the party’s dissatisfaction over arrests of top party officials over corruption allegations.
“It would be misleading to say that UDF does not support the fight against corruption,” said Chilumpha when he addressed an impromptu press conference in Lilongwe in the midst of bitter tongue-lashing within UDF over Mutharika’s style of leadership.
“It should be put on record that it’s the UDF that started the fight against corruption by putting in place structures that are being used now. It’s not an MCP initiative. In fact, during the MCP, corruption was very rampant,” said Chilumpha.
Flanked by 10 cabinet ministers, Chilumpha told journalists that there might be some people in the party that are not happy with the arrests but said that is part of democracy where people are entitled to expressing their opinion on any issue of public interest.
He, however, said the society would begin to question the development of democracy if every policy that government implemented was just supported and not questioned.
“In fact, we should be celebrating. Expression of opinion is healthy for democracy,” he added.
Chilumpha then said a committee has been instituted to facilitate dialogue between the two groups, arguing that if the bickering is not checked, it would distract government from its development activities.
Education Minister Yusuf Mwawa, Ken Lipenga, Davis Katsonga, Joyce Banda and Speaker of the National Assembly Rodwell Munyenyembe are some of the members of the committee.
Chilumpha then urged government and the UDF to give the committee a chance to settle the differences that are there between the two parties, so that government concentrates on its business.
He said time has come for Malawians to stop spending time bickering, but rather concentrate on building the economy.
Information Minister Ken Lipenga chipped in, saying Mutharika and Bakili Muluzi, who is the national chair for UDF, have been talking and was optimistic that very soon this bickering would be history.
“Behind the scenes, the President and the national chair have been talking,” said Lipenga.
Meanwhile, Muluzi has ordered UDF officials to stop making statements in the media and leave the talking to party spokesman Salule Masangwi or his deputy Mary Kaphwereza-Banda.
Muluzi’s spokesman Sam Mpasu said yesterday the party chairman wants “a little” discipline in the party.
“It’s all because everybody has been acting as an official spokesman of the party,” said Mpasu.
Masangwi said there is a letter written by Muluzi himself to all members of the party, stopping them from speaking to the press for the party.
Party secretary general Kennedy Makwangwala also confirmed the order.
“Don’t talk to me any more. Talk to Mr Masangwi,” said Makwangwala, who has also changed his cellular phone number following the order.
The UDF has over the past weeks been divided between members supporting Muluzi and those for President Bingu wa Mutharika and last week senior members on Muluzi’s side said they regret supporting the head of state and immediately suspended three regional executive members, accusing them of reporting “lies” about the party chairman and his executive members to the President.
Masangwi in an interview on Sunday said allegations that the party rigged the May 20 elections would not affect the efforts being done so far.
“That statement is an individual rift between those who have been mentioned and those who have issued it and it should be taken as such. The two groups would want to work together and the Task Force is looking into that,” he said.
He said some of the issues that the Task Force will look at is the chasing of women at Chancellor College in Zomba and that there should be clear roles between the two entities on issues that affect them.
Masangwi said there was need that when government has a function the party has to be informed and have its role and when the party has a function the same should apply to government.
|
