Trouble continues brewing in UTM, with the latest development being the party’s leader, Michael Usi, threatening not to endorse the elective convention just two weeks before delegates are expected to convene to elect new leaders.
Recently, there have been instances of some top party officials, including those vying for leadership, expressing strong opinions on who can genuinely be the ideal candidate for the party.
Before Usi issued his letter, the party held a national executive committee (Nec) meeting, despite the party president having spoken against the event on the grounds that Secretary-General Patricia Kaliati was still in police custody at that time.
In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, UTM Director of Women, Anne Makuta, is seen addressing some party leaders, informing them that the party belongs to Newton Kambala and that no outsiders should come and claim it.
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Makuta has confirmed that the sentiments expressed in the video clip are hers.
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Kambala is one of the party officials seeking to claim leadership at the convention slated for this month.
Makuta says one of the aspiring candidates, who hails from Thyolo, has joined the party with ill intentions.
While she does not name the aspirant, our assessment of those aspiring to lead the party suggests that former Reserve Bank of Malawi governor Dalitso Kabambe fits the description provided by Makuta.
She insists that Kambala is the rightful owner of UTM and that handing the party over to “strangers” would be detrimental to its future.
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“During the [Democratic Progressive Party] time, the late Saulos Chilima, who was State vice president at that time, was heavily victimised. One of the people who victimised him was this candidate from Thyolo.
“He was once Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs… He ordered that a carpet laid out at the airport for Chilima for a foreign trip be removed,” Makuta said.
Meanwhile, in his letter to Kaliati, Usi expresses concern that preparations for the conference are not in line with the UTM constitution and that the process may be unlawful.
He has since requested immediate corrections to the processes and has made it clear that he will not endorse or recognise any actions taken thus far due to their “unconstitutional nature”.
However, UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala said Sunday that he would not comment extensively on the letter.
“Ask the president to elaborate further on the allegations,” Njawala said.
Among his concerns, Usi is unhappy with what he describes as improper Central Committee meetings, which he claims were conducted without following the correct processes or obtaining proper authorisations.
The UTM president is also dissatisfied with what he has characterised as unauthorised people being added to the list of delegates eligible to vote at the party’s convention, scheduled for November 17 in Mzuzu.
According to Usi, people who are not officially recognised as national delegates, as stipulated in Article 7 of the UTM constitution, have been included in the delegate list, which could compromise the integrity of the conference.
He further argues that a team that has purportedly been preparing for and will conduct the convention has not been provided with terms of reference, letters of engagement or appeared before the Nec as requested in an email sent to the party.
“I have also noted that they have started working without all these critical things being done. You do understand that UTM the convention.
In an interview with Times Television’s Brian Banda on Saturday, Njawala declined to confirm whether Usi was involved in the decisions regarding the nomination fees, saying “these are internal matters”.
He further claimed that Usi is the one chairing the party’s meetings, despite Usi insisting that he is not involved in several decisions made by the party.
Meanwhile, political and governance analysts have noted that the disagreements within UTM might affect followers in terms of who should be their next leader post-Chilima.
George Phiri has urged the party’s officials to unite and resolve their differences “in a sincere manner”, saying there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies in political culture, only permanent interests.
On his part, governance expert Henry Chingayipe observed a rift between Usi and members of the UTM politburo and called for a unified purpose to prevail in the party.
“It is crucial that both sides view the forthcoming convention as a platform to settle differences and yield a leadership team that can pull in one direction.
“Perhaps this will become clear at their policy conference, which is set to take place before the elections,” Chingayipe said.
