The ‘alliance’ between President Peter Mutharika’s DPP and Atupele Muluzi’s UDF is proving to be a partnership that might just see the end of UDF the first party to claim Malawi Presidency in a multi-party election.
According to Daily Times among the voices of discontent with the Peter-Atupele partnership is former UDF Administrative Secretary, Ian Kanyuka, who says he was removed from the position in December last year because he had questioned the motive behind Atupele joining the government where he is serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining.
The Daily Times in their reporting said Mr. Kanyuka told them the UDF is on the verge of collapsing and eventually being swallowed by ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Mr. Kanyuka according to the Daily Times said the UDF claimed it had removed him from his position because it did not have money to pay its secretariat staff including him.
But he brushed aside this reasoning, arguing that he was removed because he had asked for the terms of reference for the working relationship between the UDF and the DPP.
“There are a lot of issues going on and people are accusing each other of not behaving properly before their seniors. In as much as that was not reflected in the letter as the reason, it played a bigger part on my sacking,” he said.
Kanyuka, who claims to be still in the UDF national executive committee, said this has come about because the fact that ever since Atupele became a cabinet member, there has been no formal communication on the working relationship.
MaraviPost reached out to Mr. Ian Kanyuka by email and at the time of posting the story we had not received a response.
But the party’s Publicity Secretary Ken Ndanga said the last time the party had a NEC meeting two months ago, Kanyuka, by virtue of being a NEC member, did not raise the concerns in question.
Ken Ndanga appears to dismiss Kanyuka’s concerns as an overreaction to a matter that should have remained private within the UDF. He refused to comment on whether UDF has no money to pay its secretariat staff.
On his part, DPP spokesperson Francis Kasaila said the two parties are not in any formal agreement and the possibility of the parties merging does not exist.
“I don’t think our focus is to kill another party. The party is to ensure that we create an environment where other parties can flourish,” Kasaila said.
