UDF loses southern region structures to PP
If the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) thought by pledging its unwavering support to President Mrs. Joyce Banda and her Peoples Party (PP) would be a life line then it has to go back to the drawing board and bang heads.
This follows revelations that the former ruling party has just lost its southern region and Blantyre district strictures to the ruling party, in what could be a fresh blow to a party that has been embroiled in bitter infighting between followers of two presidential aspirants Friday Jumbe and Atupele Muluzi now Economic Planning and Development Minister.
The mass defection also comes at a time when both camps swallowed pride and started reconciliation talks aimed at mending fences.
Of course the UDF secretariat mainly composed of young Muluzi sympathizers would save face by arguing that the entire committees that have defected were Jumbe supporters.
Fed up
Even when he was making his remarks, the defected UDF governor for south Molesi Shukulani told senior PP officials that came to welcome him and his team at its headquarters, that they have decided to join the ruling party because they are frustrated by events unfolding in the once mighty UDF.
“Politics is about development not fighting , we have tried our best to serve the UDF the best we could but it seems it has reached the point of no return. We were divided into two camps and we belonged to Jumbe camp but today I have come here with my whole regional and Blantyre district committee pledging our support to President Mrs. Banda.
“We’re also encouraged by the way we have been welcomed by the party officials that is very important because we will be able to work with the existing structures to make the ruling party solid,” announced a visibly overjoyed Shukulani.
In total there were 150 members that were present and PP regional governor Ali M’balaka had to make a roll call to convince his smiling bosses namely, secretary general Henry Chibwana and treasure general Brown Mpinganjira that job was being done on the ground.
Integration
M’balaka therefore promised to use the new members in a bid to make the party a force to reckon with in the southern region.
Said M’balaka: “Each and every day the party is welcoming new members this is an encouragement to us and as the provincial chair I will work with hardworking members only whether old or new; we have elections that are coming in 2014 so let’s up our game,” said M’balaka amid ululations and singing from orange women.
In his welcoming remarks, Chibwana told the new members to feel at home and went further to urge M’balaka to integrate them into existing structures so that they should not feel left out.
“I will forward the names to our president and I hope she will be happy to see people she left in UDF following her. The onus is therefore ours to make the new comers feel welcome by integrating them in vacant positions so that they become part and parcel of day to day running of the party,” said Chibwana.
Apart from Shukulani other committee members that have made it to the PP include director of women Mai Kafuliza and youth governor Sam Nkusa.
Those from PP that joined Chibwana and Mpinganjira and M’balaka in welcoming the new faces included, national deputy women’s director Ettina Koloviko, provincial director of women Jean Kamphale, youth director Lemani Chapitapansi and vice chairman of PP’s UK wing Chipiliro Mpinganjira among several others.
