Election uncertainty worries NAM affiliates
Netball Association of Malawi’s (NAM) regional affiliates have expressed discomfort with the local netball governing body’s delay to announce dates for the elective general assembly, saying it can lead to unfair election results.
NAM general secretary Carol Bapu said yesterday that the assembly will take place in April but could not reveal the actual dates because “we want to finalise some logistical arrangements first.”
However, Southern Region Netball Committee (SRNC) chairperson Judith Chalusa and her Central Region counterpart Fanuel Katengeza feel it is unfair and unconstitutional for the affiliates to be kept in the dark about the dates.
“We have been asking the authorities to give us the dates so we can have ample time for preparations but we do not get the answer,” Chalusa said.
“In the forthcoming assembly, we first need to be given a copy of the financial report on time for scrutiny and have enough time for nominations prior to the polls. Yet, with a month to go, nothing of this sort has happened. This is worrisome.”
Nevertheless, section 24.2 (a) of NAM’s constitution, stipulates that “the general secretary shall call for nominations 45 days before the date of the annual general meeting [AGM] in which elections for the executive committee are due.”
On his part, Katengeza, while concurring with Chalusa, said despite having the right to know anything happening within the NAM fold for automatically qualifying as the association’s executive committee members by virtue of being regional chairpersons, they do not know anything that happens on the ground.
“Since we came into office in 2013, we have not been called to NAM executive committee meeting and we are not involved in anything to do with decision-making,” he said.
In spite of that, Bapu insisted that nothing has gone amiss in the run up to the forthcoming assembly as what is important is for the logistics to be sorted out first before the affiliates can know the dates.
Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) executive secretary George Jana refused to comment on the matter but said, in any case, NAM has to live by the dictates of its constitution.
Netball commentator Wesley Namasala said it is only after the dates are announced that a proper determination can be made if there is a compliance of the constitution.
“But it will be a gesture of good practice if there can be a definitive calendar of events that is inclusive of elective assembly dates far much earlier for smooth operations. Uncertainty breeds chaos,” Namasala said.
