MCP chairs petition Tembo on convention
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president John Tembo has been petitioned by district chairmen from the central and lakeshore regions demanding that the party should not postpone again its convention which is now set for August 9 to 11.
The fourteen chairmen from the two regions who have signed the petition said on Thursday that any further delays in holding the national convention will affect the party’s performance in next year’s elections.
The chairmen who have signed the petition are for Mchinji north, Ntchisi, Dedza Valley, Lilongwe Urban, Lilongwe Rural West, Mchinji South, Nkhotakota, Ntcheu, Kasungu Esat, Dowa West, Dowa East, Kasungu West, Salima and Ntcheu Bwanje.
“Mr President we would want to ask you that the dates that have been set to hold the convention should not be changed again since time for the party to get prepared for the 2014 elections is running out and holding the convention now will give hope to our members,” reads the petition.
The petition – following a meeting that they had in Lilongwe – has also asked the party not to trim the number of aspirants who would want to compete for the party’s presidency at the convention.
“Even if we have a lot of people interested to contest, we as delegates to the convention will choose an individual who we believe will carry the party forward during next year’s elections,” adds the petition.
Lingson Belekanyama, the MCP director of research, has since indicated that the party twill no longer trim the number of its presidential aspirants and will instead let delegates to its forthcoming convention to decide the fate of its hopefuls.
The meeting was chaired by district chairperson for Mchinji North Ponsilio Foloma Mwale.
Mwale told reporters that the district chairmen decided to write the petition after observing that the party has been changing the dates for the convention since the date of April 27 was first announced and also following reports that some of the NEC members wanted the number of presidential aspirants trimmed.
He said all the central and lakeshore district chairmen have agreed that whoever will emerge a winner during the convention should have support from the all the regions regardless of where the new president would come from.
Tembo is on record to have said that although the party’s spokesperson Jolly Kalero announced the dates, the party is yet to come up with a final decision.
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