DPP gives Kunkuyu 3-day ultimatum to reveal rebel MPs
Second Vice President of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Minister of Health, Dr. Jean Kalilani, has warned rebel Blantyre Member of Parliament (MP), Moses Kunkuyu to stop dragging central region MPs into his Hope Alliance pressure group.
She told a press briefing in the capital city Lilongwe on Thursday 26thJanuary 2012 alongside other DPP members that Kunkuyu risks being brought before a traditional Chewa initiation to be disciplined.
Kalilani also aked the rebel MP who claims to have almost 30 MPs in his group seeking to meet President Bingu wa Mutharika and re-jig the party policies by telling him facts on the ground, to stop his ‘madness’ all at once.
“In Chewa culture we get naughty children ku dambwe (traditional Chewa initiation place) to be disciplined. If he is not careful we will do that with him and am not joking,” she said as her fellow MPs laughed and clapped.
She then allowed other alleged Hope Alliance members such as former Finance Minister and Kasungu MP, Ken Kandodo, and others mentioned in media reports to defend themselves over the allegations.
“This is not true. I am surprised that my name is included that we met him in Lilongwe. The day he claims this happened we were in a regional party meeting. I do not have the problems he says he has in accessing party leadership. I enjoy meeting the president and party leadership at any time whenever I have something to discuss,” he said.
Kandodo warned if this continues he would drag the MP to court.
Beamed on national broadcaster, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation television (MBCtv) the MPs took turns to distance themselves and castigate Kunkuyu. One MP wondered how the MP could claim to lead party top dogs such as National Assembly Speaker Henry Chimunthu Banda, Kandodo, and former Minister of Information Leckford Thoto when he was considered an ‘underdog’.
The group also demanded that the MP reveals names of his follower MPs in three days, but he has since refused to do so and continues to stick by his claims.
“I cannot reveal my colleagues no matter what,” he told the local Daily Times of Friday 27thJanuary.
“I think he has a skill in bringing confusion where there is no need to. We know his background as he once faked death during the primary elections,” charged the MP, Ulemu Chilapondwa from Ntchisi, asking Kunkuyu to tell Malawians what happened for him to get lost, die, then ‘resurrect’; and start speaking again.
“Some of us believe he might as well be a ghost when we see him. How can such a person lead others?” he gagged.
The conference comes after Kunkuyu told The Nation newspaper his group was growing from strength to strength with more ruling DPP MPs joining the cause.
Hope Alliance aims to bring sanity in the party leadership and hence the government top machinery following discontent over leadership expressed by the general citizenry.
Kunkuyu said Mutharika’s close advisors and allies were lying to him about the situation on the ground, and hence the pressure group would inform the president the truth to buy back the integrity the party and the government leadership was quickly losing.
He says the leadership can be saved if told the truth, attracting party and presidential spokesperson Dr. Hetherwick Ntaba to offer the pressure group room to hold intra-party dialogue on their differences, before days later branding Kunkuyu an outright liar, dreamer and confusionist.
Meanwhile, Mutharika, known for outbursts, has remained quiet on the matter. His administration, however, has started what analysts call revamping of the party machinery. First to be fired has been Southern Region party governor, Noel Masangwi.
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