Jumbe forms Labour Party

Former UDF interim president Friday Jumbe has announced the formation of a new political party, Labour Party, built on the principle of people’s energies to achieve rapid economic transformation and sustained economic development. 

Jumbe announced the establishment of the party in Malawi’s commercial city, Blantyre, on Tuesday following days of speculation that, together with some former United Democratic Front (UDF) heavyweights, he had formed a political party.

“It is a democratic party that believes that through the strength of our common endeavour, we will achieve more than we can achieve alone,” said Jumbe.

He said the formation of the party is not a desperate attempt to be a leader of a party neither has it been formed out of frustration after failing to reconcile with his former party.

People present at a news briefing to announce the party’s formation included former diplomats Ziliro Chibambo and Joseph Kubwalo, former legislator Nicholas Kachingwe and Henry Nkulichi.

Nkulichi said former speaker of National Assembly Sam Mpasu, who is outside the country, is also part of the team of the yet-to-be-registered party.

But Jumbe refused to give names of the interim committee of his party, saying the names will be unveiled to the press in the next 30 to 40 days.

“Next year, either in June or July, we will hold a convention to elect office bearers,” said Jumbe as he outlined the party’s strategies and specific areas of attention on the people’s well-being.

The party’s strategies include sound economic principles and practical fiscal and monetary policies; avoidance of economic shocks that tend to derail economic growth; and tangible support to small and medium enterprises including credit, technology marketing and management training.

When asked why he failed to outline the strategies when he was minister, Jumbe said there was resistance to change in UDF.

“It was difficult to bring change. Now we are free to change and improve on those things,” he said. 

Jumbe fell out with UDF in 2010 when two camps emerged. The two factions reconciled their differences, but their reunion could not last.

Until the UDF convention last week, he led a faction that challenged the national conference, arguing it was illegitimate and created grave constitutional confusion.