MP Chadanti-Malunga quits Malawi ruling DPP over irreconcilable differences as he pushes probe into ‘maizegate’

Member of Parliament for Nsanje South West, JoshepChidanti Malunga  has quit the ruling Democrtaic Progressive Party (DPP) and will revert to his status of an independenty legislator , saying he could no longer live with being labelled a DPP member.

Chidanti Malunga: ‘I can no longer live with being labelled a DPP MP

Malunga confirmed his resignation in interviews monitored on Dziko FM radio and Zodiak. He also granted an interview with Nyasa Times on Tuesday evening on the same matter.

“I have decided to be no longer member of the DPP. I am no longer a member of DPP,” Malunga said in an interview with Dziko Radio.

“I was elected as an independent MP and then joined DPP. Now am back to being independent,” he said.

During his interview on Zodiak, Malunga said  he has been persuaded by his constituents to quit DPP, saying the governing party is sidelining his area in development terms.

And when asked by Nyasa Times if his decision is to do with widespread corruption bedevilling the DPP –led government, Malunga said: “Not really. Sometimes you have to be bold and make a decision regardless of the consequences.”

Chidanti-Malunga is chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Irrigation and Food Security, which earlier pushed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to launch an inquiry into the the ‘maizegate’ – procurement  scandal by Admarc from Zambia.

The MP said he was unhappy  with commission of inquiry set upby President Peter Mutharika  to probe matters surrounding the ‘maizegate’.

He said the worry lies on the independence of the commission.

“I think there should have been some wide consultations with members of public and the civil society organisations to see how best to come up with the commission,” said Malunga.

He had also become disillusioned with the government’s attitude towards crackdown on corruption involving members of DPP or government.

Chidanti-Malunga stressed  he was unable properly to represent the people who elected him under the banner of DPP which is now tainted with corruption, bad governance and economic failure.

DPP spokesperson Francis Kasaila who also comes from Malunga’s Nsanje district  said the party was “disappointed” at the MPs resignation.

Kasaila said Malunga “a valuable member of Parliament” and that the party is saddened  that he has chosen to dump it.

Malunga resignation from DPP will add pressure to President Peter Mutharika to  suspend gricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) chief executive officer Foster Mulumbe and Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George Chaponda to create space for an impartial and independent probe into the Zambian maize procurement saga.

The MP also agrees with calls for Mulumbe and Chaponda to be out of their jobs to avoid interfering with investigations.

Admarc handled the procurement of the purported 100 000 metric tonnes of maize from Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF) but allegedly engaged a privately-owned Zambian company Kaloswe Commuter and Courier Limited, which purportedly played the role of intermediary in the deal.

The Zambian company has since reportedly dragged Admarc to court for breach of contract, having already done so with the ZCF over similar charges.

Admarc reportedly paid about K26 billion, which government borrowed from Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank, commonly known as PTA Bank, for the purchase of the maize which is about K9.5 billion more than the estimated K15 billion it could have paid, had it bought the maize directly from the Zambian Government.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
30 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Paul Vida
7 years ago

Stupid government full of shit. Stupid are all whose voted for this stupid fucked government of DPP. Malawians we don’t learn, his brother leave this country in a mess and again we voted his stupid corrupt brother.

Vin Mongu
Vin Mongu
7 years ago

people are realising how important it is to be true to oneself. Bravo Dr Malunga, I see that your schooling makes sense. ataye awa even if you lose in 2019 you have a PhD you will survive but let these scoundrels alone they are useless.

Mgoloso
Mgoloso
7 years ago

Malunga ndi mwana wakunjira – anali STEP-SON wa DPP. So, was not a biological son in the DPP family – no wonder step-sons are always unrully

Chambe
Chambe
7 years ago

Rewind:
He is chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and he constituted part of a probe for ADMARC and Chaponda on the maize saga. He is in fact the lead who started the whole need to probe.
Already you can see that his life is in difficulty if he remains in DPP. It will even be more suicidal to his political career if Mulumbe and Chaponda have been cleared of wrong doing. Politics!

wakuphili
wakuphili
7 years ago

He thought just because he holds a PhD he would automatically be made minister. Wagwa nayo kuliso ena kumeneko

Frank
7 years ago

My fellow Malawians, pati bii pali minga. Amene wachiwona ndiye wathawa. Soon you will see others quiting out, those who don’t want kusolora and opressing their people who voted for them. But the bounsers, those who are behind kusolora and they don’t even care or think of their voters can not dare to quite. They know that they shall never be voted again. We can see, up to now the current administration is silent for the openning of Poly and we don’t know when it will be opened, and that is one way of opressing students future. But the lectures… Read more »

kalanga
kalanga
7 years ago

WISE PPLE AWZ DELINK THEMSELVES FROM SINKING VESSELS! A LOT OF GATES! THE COUNTRY Z ON TRIAL KKK

gringo
gringo
7 years ago

towards the end of last year some disgruntled members of opposition parties moved to join DPP,everybody clappped hands and comments were like oppositon parties are on the blink of collapsin g now when its time for ruling party members to go and join oppositon party its a crime. search me

Umziya
Umziya
7 years ago

You are a very wise MP, more wise than your President who remains quite on obvious issues. Wish you all the best Mr Legislature. More importantly please pass my regards to your constituents

Fabiano Kamanga
Fabiano Kamanga
7 years ago

SOMETIMES I HAVE PROBLEMS TO UNDERSTAND PRESIDENT PETER MUTHARIKA’S WISDOM AND THINKING CAPABAILITY. WHEN A COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY IS SET TO PROBE SOME OFFICERS, FOR WHATEVER ALLEGATIONS THEY ARE ANSWERING TO, THE COMMON SENSE DEMANDS THAT THE CONCERNED OFFICERS SHOULD BE SUSPENDED TO PAVE WAY FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION WITH INTERFERANCE. WHAT IS STOPPING PETER FROM SUSPENDING MULUMBE AND CHAPONDA? ON MULUMBE, MAY BE THE PRESIDENT MAY SAY IT IS THE BOARD THAT OUGHT TO DO THAT, BUT WHAT ABOUT CHAPONDA???? THE PRESIDENT CANT CONTINUE LEAVING IN DENIAL…THERE IS SOMETHING TERRIBLY SERIOUS WITH THIS PRESIDENT!!!!!!! VUTO LOMANGOLEMBANA NTCHITO A DERA… Read more »

Read previous post:
CSOs press on Mutharika to fire Chaponda, Mulumbe until investigations are over on Malawi/Zambia ‘maizegate’

Civil society organisations (CSOs) who have also called for the resignation of Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George...

Close