LILONGWE (MaraviPost)—The High Court sitting in the capital Lilongwe has for the second time shifted the date in determining whether the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) should a bid by the month of March’s court order to go for convention within 90 days.
This means that the expelled MCP’s district and regional chairmen need to wait a little bit for their fate as May 6, 2016 is the date the court has set for the final ruling on whether the party should go for convention or not.
Both Potiphar Chidaya and Peter Chakhwantha, MCP’s Administrative Secretary and legal team leader confirmed the development to The Maravi Post on Tuesday evening following the judge’s busy schedule who is said to be attending judicial workshop.
“I was not at the court but just being communicated that this coming Friday, May 6 is a new date for the court’s determination. I am told that the judge who was supposed to preside over this case is attending the workshop while last adjournment was due to court clerks who also underwent the same training. “Therefore, let’s wait for that day without commenting much”, says Chidaya
When asked on the translation of the court’s failure to pass the ruling on the matter for the second time, Chankhwatha said the party would a bid by the court’s decision no matter how long it might take as the party was not amused with the development.
“We are law abiding party as we have been subjected to many court adjournments. Do you remember what Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) did to us in 2014? We are not going to indulge into confrontation with anybody over this until the truth of the matter comes out and Malawians are the best judge on all these things happening to MCP,” said Chankhwatha.
On Friday, April 29 about 47 expelled district and regional chairmen converged in the lakeshore district of Salima to map the way forward on what the court will decide whether the party should go for convention or not.
The bone of contention comes amid dissatisfaction among four regional chairpersons whom on January 9, 2016 issued a letter accusing MCP’s President Lazarus Chakwera of raping the party’s constitution that the MCP was losing direction in its affairs.
In a letter, the four chairpersons namely Baza Kaunda, Stowell Gondwe, and Bauleni Mkweza, and Abi Jana (but now withdrawn from the list) for North-South, North-North and Lakeshore respectively were concerned with the silence from Chakwera after the party’s Administrative Secretary Potiphar Chidaya and other party officials were beaten up last year in Blantyre.
Not only that the group also accused MCP leader of nepotism, claiming that the majority of positions in the party are held by people from Lilongwe where Chakwera also comes from.
“Does this imply that this party is now for the people of Lilongwe only? Imagine that Second Secretary General, Administrative Secretary , Treasure General and deputy, Director of elections, Director of youth (Louis Chankwantha) Director of Women (Majankomsi), Hounarable Belekanyama, Ching’oma, Dzole Mwale Chimango are all from Lilongwe just to mention a few”, reads in part the letter signed by Baza Kaunda, Stowell Gondwe, Bauleni Mkweza and Abi Jana
Apart from that the disgruntled chairpersons blame Chakwera for apparently giving more powers to Members of Parliament (MPs) and not respecting constituency, district and regional committees therefore challenged MCP President not to conduct meetings or elections until a convention is held.
Consequently, after issuing the letter, MCP National Executive Committee (NEC) fired the disgruntled regional and district chairpersons who were part of the movement who eventually went to court to challenge the party including the continual call for fresh convention.
In March, the High Court in the capital Lilongwe ordered MCP to hold a convention within 90 days—the decision which didn’t go well with the party’s NEC which argued that it was not given its side of the story as there was no legal representation the time the court was making such a ruling.
