UTM bid to register as political party rejected: Malawi registrar says application ‘misleading’
An application by United Transformation Movement (UTM) to register as a political party in Malawi has been rejected.
The applicants filed the documents with the Registrar of Political Parties on September 13 2018.
The Registrar has not registered the party and has informed the applicants that the bid was turned down because “the application is not conformity with the Act in terms of Section 7 (1) as read with Section 18(a) (1) and (ii) of the Act”.
According to a refusal decision signed by deputy registrar of political parties, Chikumbutso Numelo, UTM officials “consciously and deliberately submitted documents which carefully omit any reference to the full name under which they have been publicly holding out as [United Transformation Movement].”
Numelo said: “The publicly known fact that UTM is not a standalone name but an abbreviation for United Transformative Movement is a relevant matter which as Registrar of Political Parties with responsibility of registering and regulating political parties I have to take into account.”
The deputy registrar pointed out that the decision to present registration documents in the name of UTM and not the full name, United Transformation Movement, from which the abbreviation UTM derives was “will fully intended to mislead the Registrar of political parties for purposes of obtaining registration of the party.”
Numelo believes the scheme “to mislead” the Registrar was motivated by the knowledge of the applicants of the existence of the United Transformation Party (UTP) being a name which resembles that of United Transformation Movement – which the Registrar would have considered in registering owing to Section 7 (b) (ii) – due to its similarities.
UTP is led by Newton Kambala, a businessperson and former president of Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI), who is now in UTM and has been saying publicly that they rebranded to UTM.
The Registrar has also informed the applicants that it is an offence under Section 17 of the Political Parties Act to electioneer in connection with an election in which political parties contest unless it is a registered party.
Numelo said if UTM is not satisfied with the decision it can appeal to the High Court within 21 days.
UTP registered as political party number 50 on March 23 2016 and has been a key member of opposition political parties, primarily without parliamentary representation, that formed a coalition bloc dubbed ‘Tikonze Dziko Lathu’, to field a candidate during next year’s polls.
UTM, which started as Chilima Movement, and has been working with Wodya Zake Alibe Mlandu political grouping headed by Michael Usi, popularly known as Manganya. has maintained UTP’s red and gold colours, but changed other things such as the logo and motto.
They will hold their elective convention on November 9 2018 at a venue to be communicated later.
UTM interim secretary general Patricia Kaliati and spokesperson Joseph Chidanti-Malunga were both tight-fisted on the matter.
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If we are to talk about political party names which “resemble” did we not have the Republican Party and then the New Republican Party existing at the same time? Gwanda had registered the former, rejoined MCP or UDF, then came back and registered the latter?
JUST ACCEPT …YOU WANTED FOOL THE REGISTRAR … YOU HAVE GOOFED
Mwayambazi zikuchita kuoneseratu kuti ndinu achipani China chake
Mwayiwala ntchito yanu big
Kodi utm yi yayamba kumakunjenjemesanitu phiri?
Zibwana zimenezo! More sympathy votes for Chilima!! What is wrong with you people???
Chilima is a CROOK. He has stolen UTP and turned it into UTM but still wants to hide the fact that UTM is United Transformation Movement. Then you start complaining, when you are the one who has been dishonest.
Chipani ichi chili ngati mwana obadwa patchire ndi chifukwa chake dzina lake likuvuta kkkkk!!!! Tsopano inu a Chilima ndi anzanu simumaona kuti izi zidzavuta??? Tangosankhani dzina lina apa mutha maina alipo ambili e.g Ntojani Party (NP), or Enemies of Aphumbwa Party (EAP) or United Spirits of Darkness Party (USDP), or Dirty Mouth Party (DMP) choose one of the given names and you will the registrer will find no problem ok. Tiyeni nazoni poti mwaziyamba nokha.
It is unforgivable that a whole party would lodge registration documents with UTM acronym as the name of the party. The lawyers should be fired forthwith. Its like registering Chilima with MEC as SKC. Is this the quality of people that are in UTM who can’t basic things right. What if they’re in charge of K1,5 triilion budget. Would we trust them that they would spend it wisely for the benefit of Malawians. Come on UTM, you can do better than this. The Registrar is within his legal right to reject the application although it might be seen as politically motivated. Get off your high horses UTM and probably rebrand UTM in the name of the already registered UTP and reconstitute the leadership and move on
Eti just imagine. Mmesa a Chilima amaoneka ngati anzeru. Apa nde apanga za dothi heavy.
In his zeal to reject the registration, the Deputy Registrar even confuses the abbreviation for the already registered United Transformation Party as UTM, rather than UTP! (see second paragraph on page 2).
In truth, many legal entities are registered as abbreviations without regard to their full names – as long as the abbreviation does not match that of a similar entity. UTM and UTP are not the same. With more than 60 political parties already registered, it should not take too long to expose the Deputy Registrar’s hypocrisy in this exercise…
When observers descend on Malawi during the elections, they will look at things like these to determine whether there was a level playing field for all political parties. Already we can sense, as ordinary citizens, that the field isn’t levelled. If these vicious tactics are happening now, how about when we get close to the elections. Malawian citizens have never been so militant until the DPP came into power. some would say that the MCP Youth League and MCP were brutal….yes they were but the ordinary citizens were fully protected. Today, no one is free; we are scared to walk at night or leave our doors unlocked. it has reached a point where houses are now petrol-bombed……for what?
Will just make us stronger!!! moto kuti buuuuu
compare them which are confusing u and come up with a reasonable convincing judgement
to these people
Aaa, so the Registrar of Political Parties has started suggesting names for political parties? I thought his role was to check if the submission for registration is technically right or not? He thinks because they have using the name United Transformation Movement so it has to be included in the name. Hahahahaa, Mr, you should deal with the submitted application and not trying to give a name to a political party. If the refusal was based on that the submitted name is similar with that of another party, yes it would make sense. But this refusal because they have not made reference to the full name of United Transformation Movement is laughable. I have seen First Merchant Bank rebranding to just FMB or New Building Society to just NBS…!! Wake up man
Nanunsotu simukudziwa zomwe mukunena apa. They just promote the use of those abbreviations but their full names still stand. Mudzifunsa kaye a mwakipiki
Tinakuuzani kale kuti ndi za Satanic izi.
Dpp throwing spanners. Dangerous Pumbwa Party. UTM mutha ngati nsalu yamakatani like udf.
The easiest was to adopt UTP and accept that Newton Kambala is the founder. There once was PPM founded by Jimmy Korea Mpatsa (if my memory is right) but he relinquished the reigns of power to Aleke Banda who took the party to greater heights winning more than 10 MPs in 2004 elections. Most of the greatest American and British leaders never started the political parties that put them to power.
what greater heights are you talking about?????
who decide the name of party when making registrations? Party Registrar or the one applying for party name registration, (Party owner)?
Angolongoliwa is the one who decide the name ask MASANGWI he said when he was in Phalombe
Let me borrow you my unregistered trademark “Nyasalande Fair Party”. Nde mukapita kukalembetsa don’t say NFP but Nyasalande Fair Party, in full. Remember you have less than 21 dezi
All the Registrar is saying is that (1) the application is technically in correct as it uses UTM without necessarily stating the full names the acronym stands for, and (2) he believes the foregoing was deliberately done to run away from mentioning United Transformation Party which is a registered party. The deliberate avoidance of the full name is, in his view, meant to circumvert bringing in issue the name United Transformation Party which is very close in identification as a name as well as colors used by the United Transformation Movement.
Mr Deputy Registrar Sir, stop wasting everybody’s time. UTM is here to stay, these delay tactics are just providing campaign material for the UTM to use.
Palibe nkhani apa ingokonzani zitheka cz ife tiri pambuyo panu UTM…Palibe chosatheka ai….ndi sabotage chabe
Sso Mr u think ur UTM is more special than other parties? So that the registrar shud not follow necessary steps?
way.to go！
Right, you got the right to do so but your colleagues sees something differently. You even allege that it was deliberately done………..your political assumption.
Well and good! Another way will be found anyway.
I thought UTM and its leadership was smarter than this? But again i guess i was wrong, they’re just a bunch of clueless, bitter individuals who don’t know their own constitution.
Small era come up with UTMP or something we still rally behind u
not a small error to misled the registrar…….. man check out
not small error,it sounds like a deliberate plan
Truth will out.
The aim was to dupe Kambala by not involving him, so it has backfired
A Nyapapi mwagwa nayo basi. Mbala zenizeni
Is the Registrar of political parties also registrar of movements? If UTM gets registered with the Registrar of Political Parties it will not be registered as a movement but a political party because we do not have the registrar of political movements in Malawi. So the United Transformation Party already exists and legally, the Registrar of political parties has a point and its’ not too late for UTM to change its name. Otherwise they are fighting a losing battle in courts.