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Maverick executive member of the UDF Dumbo Lemani has warned his party of a ploy by some people from the government side who would want to weaken the party with the aim of hijacking it from its founders and bona fide members.
Reacting to a decision by the party’s task force appointed to iron out differences in the party to punish him, Lemani, told a press briefing that he was aware that all the pressure to punish him is coming from the government side.
“As far as I am concerned I have committed no offence that can warrant any punishment. This is coming from people who would want to hide facts, I don’t hide facts myself. UDF must be careful on how they handle this issue, the party must be careful of the story of an Arab and a camel where a camel ended up taking over a whole tent despite asking for a small space for itself. Some people would want to hijack the party,” he said.
Lemani could not mention names of those people who would want to take over the party, saying: “I do not have a register of all genuine members of the party and hijackers normally come in masks, it is only when you arrest them that you know their identity. But UDF should know that it would be hijacked because it has a very weak anchorage.”
He said he was surprised that the task force would want to remove the people who founded the party.
Lemani, however, warned that the task cannot remove the party, saying “even a thousand tonne crane would not be able to remove me from the UDF”.
He said if the task force feels that he was wrong by speaking his mind he was ready to face any punishment, even by hanging, because his aim is to fight for the truth.
“These people are afraid of me, they are afraid of my shadow. I know they have been hunting for me and I am ready to die. I know they would want to assassinate me,” said Lemani, who described the current relationship between party and government as ‘chibwenzi cha nkhwangwa chokoma pokwera’ (fair weather friends) in reference to the party’s May 20 elections campaign for President Bingu wa Mutharika.
The 10-man strong task force on November 23 agreed that Lemani and his grouping called the Fast Track display disrespect for the party and pose a threat to the party’s well being.
The task force agreed to punish Lemani by removing him from the party’s national executive committee.
Lemani, however, said punishing him would not sort out the rift in the party since it was being started by the government side by provoking party supporters. He cited the chasing of women in UDF colours from Chancellor College in Zomba and during the opening of Livingstone Towers.
Commenting on his controversial Fast Track, Lemani said he was surprised that people were afraid of something which is just a concept.
“Fast Track was just a concept, these people must be cowards. Why fight a concept,” he added.
UDF Deputy Publicity Secretary Mary Kaphwereza-Banda said the warning from Lemani to the party was welcome but that it should be forwarded to the party through appropriate channels.
“Honourable Lemani should sound that warning during our executive meeting not through the newspapers,” she said.
On Lemani’s concerns on the task force’s agreement, Kaphwereza-Banda said the party would make a statement after it has finalised all that is supposed to be discussed.
“These are just bits and pieces and not a final stand of the party. This is just the beginning. When we are through with everything we are going to let the nation know because we know everyone is expecting to know what we will come up with,” said Kaphwereza-Banda who is one of the five representatives from the party side in the task force.
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