UDF legitimise Muluzi exit, Lalli made spokesman
Malawi’s former ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) secretary-general Kennedy Makwangwala said the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Monday in Blantyre formally accepted the retirement of ex-president Bakili Muluzi.
Makwangwala told Nyasa Times that the NEC meeting also discussed the need for unity and rebuilding the UDF party and also analysing the recent trends that have resulted into disagreements within the party membership.
He said NEC meeting “acknowledged that Dr. Bakili Muluzi had retired from the position of UDF National Chairman. It is resolved that NEC accepts his resignation from the said position as from 9th December, 2009 but the party should respect him as former president of Malawi and former National Chairman of the UDF.”
The party also ratified the decision by the Secretary to dissolve all positions that were the main cause of the controversies within the and revert to original positions before 16th July 2009.
The members also nullified the decision by a faction of the party to expell Makwangwa, Atupele Muluzi and suspended Bakili Muluzi as member of the party, noting that the so called disciplinary committee was “illegitimate and invalid.”
Convention
UDF party NEC also resolved that the secretary-general office should in the interim period head the affairs of the party until the UDF National Conference meets to elect new office bearers “within a specified time frame.”
The party will hold another NEC meeting within two weeks to appoint a National Conference Committee that would start preparations for a convention within three months.
“Recognising the need to be inclusive, it is resolved that all members of parliament of UDF and all UDF party presidential aspirants are members NEC,” Makwangwala said.
The party also resolved to suspend the operations of the National Working Committee “which is merely a subcommittee of NEC”. Makwangwala said the party felt the committee “is being used and doctored by some individuals to usurp the powers of NEC.”
UDF also resolved that its bank account at National Bank where the Secretary General and the Treasurer General are signatories be maintained and the parliamentary party funding be collected from the National Assembly by the Secretary General through the UDF parliamentary leadership.
Publicity
Meanwhile, UDF NEC approved Member of Parliament Mahamudu Lalli to be the party’s spokesman and his deputy will be Ken Ndanga.
Lalli now is the official spokesperson of the party “without reducing the powers of the office of the Secretary General.”
Aspiring to promote democratic values in the UDF party, the NEC resolved that no person should be sopped from campaigning for any positions in the party including that of presidential candidate.
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