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UDF regional governor Uladi Mussa on Wednesday showed complete loyalty to President Bingu wa Muthraika by indirectly challenging the party’s decision to remove Energy and Mining Minister Davis Katsonga and plans to oust the President.
Speaking during the inauguration of this year’s tree planting month in Salima, Mussa said no one can remove someone from a party because people join political parties voluntarily and should be allowed to leave voluntarily.
“There is no application at the UDF national executive for someone applying to join the party and no one can be removed. All of us here are UDF,” said Mussa in the presence of the President and Katsonga who was expelled from the party last week.
In an interview after the meeting, Mussa challenged Katsonga’s dismissal and the suspension of the other people, saying it is the decision of a few individuals in the party.
Mussa said, according to the UDF constitution, only the National Executive Committee (Nec) of the party can remove someone from the party after hearing their side of the story.
“All these removals you are hearing are just a decision of a few individuals. We have a Nec meeting on Sunday and if there is any proposal to remove someone from the party, we better hear it than to allow a few individuals to be firing people from the party. This is the thing I am hating,” he said.
Mussa said in Salima that people should give the President time to develop the country and realise that there can only be one President at a time “and no one should cheat you not to work with the President”.
He said people should not waste their time arguing about political positions but should concentrate on fighting poverty and HIV/Aids which are the major problems for Malawi because all political positions are filled.
Asked to explain about his relationship with the party chairman and his fellow members of the Nec, Mussa said what he hates is to be told not to attend meetings organised by the President.
“What I am against is to ask me not to go to functions of President Bingu wa Mutharika. That I can’t condone. That’s totally out of order. I regard Bingu as President and Muluzi as party chairman.
“But to be told not to go to meetings of the President, that I can’t allow and my region can’t allow that,” said Mussa.
UDF deputy spokesperson, Mary Kaphwereza Banda said in an interview people remove themselves from parties when they go against its rules and regulations and the party just like churches.
Kaphwereza Banda described Mussa as being merely rhetorical, advising him to listen to what he said and reflect on it.
“Such rhetoric is what brings more divisions in the party,” she said.
Mutharika and Katsonga made no reference to political bickering in their speeches for the launch of the tree-planting month.
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