Kambala sticks to UTM after loss

Businessperson-cum-politician Newton Kambala says he remains a member of the country’s newest political party, UTM, despite his failed bid to become national treasurer general during an elective national conference on Monday.

Kambala, whose United Transformation Party (UTP) is widely considered the foundation of UTM, emerged as the main casualty in the elections after he lost to long-time politician and fellow businessperson Iqbal Omar.

In a brief interview yesterday, the former Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry president declined to comment on his defeat and what it meant to his ‘infant’ political future.

Said Kambala: “I am still a member of the UTM Party which is winning next year.”
He declined to state his political plans.

Prior to the conference, Kambala’s intention to contest for the position contradicted a statement purportedly issued by UTP secretary general William Jalani calling on party members to boycott contesting for any position at the conference. The trounced Kambala founded and registered UTP before he agreed with architects of UTM led by the country’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima to rebrand the party to UTM, then standing for United Transformation Movement.

Since July, UTP and UTM have been working together closely and it was later announced that UTP had rebranded to UTM with UTM adopting UTP colours of red and yellow.

Yesterday, Jalani did not pick up his phone when contacted for comment on their party’s future with Kambala insisting that he remains UTM member.
Before the convention, Kambala was deemed to be one of the ‘biggies’ within UTM party and several of his peers such as then national chairperson now proposed as patron Noel Masangwi, interim treasurer general Richard Makondi and Speaker of Parliament Richard Msowoya who did not vie for any position in the party.

Despite holding what has been described as a successful elective conference, UTM seems to be racing against time in as far as the party primaries and other electoral activities such as nominations are concerned.
The party is also yet to complete the formation of its national executive committee (NEC) because its constitution mandates the elected NEC members to co-opt eight different individuals to finalise its composition.
Besides the 34 positions elected at the convention and eight co-opted members, others who form the NEC include regional chairpersons and regional directors of women and youths.

In the wake of the developments, UTM director of publicity Joseph Chidanti Malunga said yesterday the party’s NEC would be “meeting anytime soon” to discuss the appointment of the eight co-opted members and strategise for the primaries.

He said: “The reason why we have co-opted members is that after the election, there may be some shortfalls in the structure. For example, women, youths or the clergy may be under-represented.

“So, the NEC will have to meet and decide who to include and fill the reserved positions in order to have a properly represented structure.”
Malunga said the co-opted members would have to be those whose beliefs are in UTM even if they are not “active politicians”.

The new kid on the block went to its first ever elective conference on Monday in Lilongwe where besides the election of office- bearers, the members also ratified the party’s constitution.

During the election, Chilima and UTM interim secretary general Patricia Kaliati were some of those who were elected unopposed. Chilima officially became president while Kaliati was confirmed as secretary general.

UTM comprises predominantly former members of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who formed what was called ‘Chilima Movement’ within DPP to lobby for Chilima’s ascendancy to the DPP presidency and eventually lead the party in the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections.

UTM was registered as a political party early last month after the court ordered the Registrar of Political Parties to register the movement as a political party after it earlier rejected its application over use of the abbreviation UTM.

Chilima, who appeared on the presidential ballot as President Peter Mutharika’s running mate in the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections after quitting his private sector job as Airtel Malawi managing director, ditched DPP in June this year after declaring he would challenge Mutharika in presidential elections.

Turning to the new executive, Chilima asked them to learn from the party’s founders, some of whom did not contest but paved the way for others to be in the driving seat while pledging their support for the movement.
He said: “UTM is not about positions. Our calling is a call to service. Our agenda and mission should remain a call to serve and reclaim Malawi.”