DPP members fight again
Eight Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) national governing council (NGC) members are contesting the appointments of new members, saying they were not consulted.
The tussle has forced the central committee to meet today in Mangochi to resolve the squabbles and scrutinise its functional review report.
According to sources in the party, the meeting will be held at former president Peter Mutharika’s retirement home.
The eight disgruntled NGC members are secretary general Greselder Jeffrey, former vice-presidents Bright Msaka (East), Kondwani Nankhumwa (South), Zelia Chakale (Centre) and Goodall Gondwe (North), treasurer general Jappie Mhango, director of youth Daiton Mussa and national director of women Cecilia Chazama.
On January 20 2023, administrative secretary Francis Mphepo wrote some individuals, advising them that they were appointed into the NGC, but the eight objected.
They wrote: “You are aware that the central committee did not meet to make these appointments and that no other structure of the DPP has power to make these appointments.
“….in the unfortunate event that you indeed wrote such letters in the absence of a meeting an decision by the central committee, please be requested to withdraw the letters immediately because they misrepresent the central committee and you had no legitimate authority to write them.”
The eight gave Mphepo up to Monday January 23 2023 to withdraw the letters. But on Tuesday, Jeffrey said the letters were yet to be withdrawn and she could not specify the next course of action.
But Goodall Gondwe said in an interview on Tuesday that the continued squabbles in the party were worrisome and tiresome.
He hoped that the meeting will help iron out differences that have existed for a long time.
However, Gondwe clarified that the central committee met some time last year, where they recommended some names for appointment into NGC, but admitted that it may have been the time the party was divided.
He said: “I am tired of all this. I hope that we should be able to iron out the differences tomorrow [today] when the central committee meets in Mangochi. I hope everyone is going to be there.
“People need not be focused on us for wrong things; they need to look at the shortfalls of the Tonse Government.”
Jeffrey confirmed to have been invited to the meeting today, but could not be drawn to comment on further details.
“All I can say is that Mphepo has not withdrawn the names, and I can confirm about the central committee meeting. I can’t tell what the meeting is about because I don’t know the agenda,” she said.
However, Mphepo referred us to the party’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba to speak on the matter.
“Allow me not to comment on the letters that some senior members have written to Hon. Mphepo. For now, let me confirm that we have the central committee meeting whose main agenda is to focus on the functional review report. Likely, some of these issues may make it on the agenda, but the main one is the functional review issue,” said Namalomba.
On his part, Mzuzu University political commentator Chrispin Mphande said in an interview on Tusday that the DPP must use the meeting to mend fences.
“This is a party that is spending 80 percent of its time on petty arguments instead of providing checks and balances to government. If they meet and fail to agree, it will result in parallel structures, and that will weaken the DPP further,” he said.
Cracks in DPP came to light after Jeffrey told The Nation in 2020 Mutharika had done his part and the party needed a new person to lead it into the future.
