By Deogratias Mmana:
The former ruling Democratic Progress Party (DPP) is being torn apart by people who are full of egos even when they have no leadership skills and are so arrogant and selfish that they think they— and not Malawians—own the party.
It is this character that got the party the boot out of power in the 2020 elections.
And, with the wrangles that have stricken the party now running past the third year since it was kicked out of government, DPP is proving it is not ready to govern again come 2025 when Malawi goes to the polls.
This is the judgement of Reverend Master Jumbe, Executive Director for Church and Society of the Blantyre Synod of the CCAP.
Jumbe made the remarks following a clash that ensued yesterday between the party’s Secretary General Grezelder Jeffrey and spokesperson, Shadreck Namalomba.
Early in the day, Jeffrey held a press briefing in Lilongwe, where she announced that she has called for a National Governing Council (NGC) meeting on December 6. purpose of the meeting, she said, is to discuss preparations for a convention in compliance with a court order for the party to hold its elective conference within 90 days from September 29 this year.
She was not accompanied by any other party official and she did not take questions from the journalists that gathered.
Jeffrey said after the court issued the order, she communicated to the party’s president Peter Mutharika reminding him on the need for the meeting of the NGC to set the date for the convention and discuss other logistics in preparation for the 2025 elections.
“I wrote and submitted this letter on October 23, 2023 but it has not been responded to till now,” Jeffrey said.
She added that she also communicated to Mutharika through WhatsApp on November 29, 2023 that she would be calling for an NGC meeting.
She said she also wrote another letter on November 30, 2023 reminding Mutharika about the need to comply with the court order.
“Today, I am announcing to all the DPP members and supporters and all Malawians that the NGC will meet on December 6, 2023 to discuss preparations for the convention. I urge all NGC members to come to the meeting,” she said.
But in an interview at Parliament, and in statement issued later, the party has dismissed Jeffrey’s presser.
Namalomba said it was not sanctioned by the party and that Jeffrey was simply dreaming and that she had no mandate to speak on the matters of the party.
“That press conference was for her and her alone as an individual. If it was sanctioned by the party, there would have been some members of the party,” Namalomba said.
He added: “Jeffrey does not have powers to call for an NGC meeting. In fact, there is no NGC. Let her keep on dreaming.”
In a statement later, Namalomba said Jeffrey’s briefing was only meant to cause panic and confusion.
He said the DPP is fully aware of the contents of the judgement the High Court of Malawi issued on 29th September, 2023.
Jeffrey is one of the claimants in the case and “as such, she is
conflicted for her to unilaterally call for the meeting of the NGC”.
He also dismissed Jeffrey’s claims that she has consulted the president of the party on this decision.
According to the statement, the party appealed the September 29 judgment of the court and applied for its stay.
“The DPP wishes to inform its members and the general public that the terms of office of its regional, district and constituency committees who constitute delegates to the National Political Conference expired,” it reads.
Further, it says, the new constituency boundaries have affected the political structures of the DPP so the party has to first conduct elections for its structures before calling for a convention.
“In view of the above, the DPP does not have political structures from which it can draw its delegates to the National Political Conference,” reads the statement which Namalomba has signed.
To Jumbe, the continued squabbling in the party is a sign that it is not ready to govern from the 2025 elections.
“It is very unfortunate that the DPP leadership is failing to sort out their internal differences up to this day.
“This underscores the fact that the leadership is selfish, arrogant and undemocratic. They should be reminded that they do not own the party. The party belongs to Malawians,” Jumbe said.
He added: “If they are failing to unite now, how can they unite in the future?
“This is a party full of people with egos even if they know they do not possess leadership skills. It is the same ego and selfishness that cost them the government in 2020,” Jumbe said.
Jumbe said the continued disagreements in the party are costing a lot to poor Malawians.
“They are failing to provide the needed checks and balances to the government now. This is regrettable,” Jumbe said.
Since it got kicked out of power in 2020, the party has been split between two factions – one led by members such as Jeffrey, Nicholas Dausi, Mark Botomani and Kondwani Nankhumwa, the party’s vice president for the Southern region, and another siding with Mutharika.
