Violence at MCP offices as police arrest Tembo aides
Scenes of violence
erupted at Malawi Congress Party (MCP) headquarters in Lilongwe on Wednesday morning when a group which is pressing party president John Tembo to resign wanted to present a petition and were roughed up.
The supporters who were mobilized by MCP legislators led by fired spokesman Ishamel Chafukila was attacked and beaten by Youth League of the party.
Two MCP members of parliament, Titus Males and Abel Kayembe were also attacked and sustained injuries.
Kayembe who represent Dowa west had his jacket torn apart and suffered cuts and bruises after being attacked by the supporters of Tembo.
Meanwhile, Police who trooped at the party offices to restore order arrested Tembo’s driver-cum body guard Isaac Phakamisa, Lyton Chidaya and Mai Masamba in connection with organizing the mob who attacked the protestors.
MCP director of research Lingston Belekanyama who is a close aide to Tembo said the party was not aware of any organized violence.
“We are not aware of that. But we do not condone violence of any form,” said Belekanyama.
He accused the ruling DPP of promoting and sponsoring fights in the MCP.
Belekanyama however said Tembo and MCP leadership will issue a media and public statement on recent political developments.
The march was organized by a group calling for party reform and resignation of Tembo which is led by former spokesman of the party, Ishmael Chafukila.
The movement argues that it has braved the aggressive and uncompromising character of Tembo to call for his resignation as the leader of our party because they strongly believe that contrary to a common belief that Tembo has built MCP, the party survived because of the work of many dedicated Malawians who have hung in there to keep the legacy of Kamuzu Banda going.
The movement accuses Tembo for reducing MCP from a vibrant political party under the Late Ngwazi Dr H Kamuzu Banda into now a party managed from the back room of his house in area 10.
“He sold the Party Headquarters to NICO for K30 million and no one knows what he has done with the money. Aspiring MPs were not funded they had to use their own resources despite Hon Tembo receiving a lot of donations during the campaign,” the group alleges.
“A leader must know when it is time that his political capital has been exhausted. Hon Tembo does not know an end to a road- so he has to be forced out. He does not realise that he is in fact the main reason why we have been losing.”
The group also vehemently support that the opposition block in the National Assembly should be able to elect their leader and that Tembo should not be an automatic holder of the title as stipulated by the standing orders.
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