MCP committees consider Tembo’s exit offer

Some MCP regional committee members are considering offering party president John Tembo an exit position of national chairperson or patron should he pull out of the party’s presidential race, Weekend Nation has learnt.

The delegates’ consideration comes after Tembo in April stunned MCP followers when he joined the party’s presidential race after the nomination deadline had elapsed.

But political analyst Dr. Henry Chingaipe has warned the members against creating any position for Tembo, saying the move would prove disastrous to the party.

Several MCP committee members from the party’s political regions told Weekend Nation this week that they are considering the exit position at the party’s national convention as a way of “honouring” Tembo for serving and leading the party for a long time.

In an interview on Tuesday, MCP lakeshore regional secretary Wellington Katsokwe Mwale said, prior to the cancellation of the convention, delegates from the region resolved to push for creation of the position of MCP national chairperson for Tembo if he retired from his post.

“We agreed that if Honourable Tembo leaves his position honourably, we should consider creating a national chairperson position for him. This would be done at the convention because currently, there is no national chairperson position in MCP.

“Members feel that we cannot just leave Honourable Tembo with nothing when he has served the party for a long time. We need to give him some respect,” said Mwale.

He said delegates to the party’s convention from all regions will, however, have to endorse the proposal to create the new position.

In a separate interview on Tuesday, MCP Central Region chairperson Daniel Mlomo also said delegates from the region are brainstorming on the role of Tembo in the party should he leave MCP’s leadership post.

“We have always respected honourable Tembo and we believe it is necessary to ensure that we give him the respect he deserves by way of giving him some exit position,” said Mlomo.

He added that delegates from the region are, however, yet to come up with a specific title for the position for Tembo.

Another Central Region executive committee member told Weekend Nation that, apart from national chairperson post, they are also considering positions of national adviser or patron so that Tembo is detached from the day-to-day running of the party’s affairs.

MCP Southern Region chairperson Dennis Nanthumba said members in the South would want to honour Tembo as a third father of the party after late Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda and Gwanda Chakuamba.

“I don’t think we should go to the extent of changing our constitution to create a new position for one person. We think the best way is to respect honourable Tembo as the third father of the party.

“We want to respect him as our father. Why should we change the constitution to create a position when we are saying no to creation of open terms in the same constitution?” wondered Nanthumba.

He , however, said delegates to the party’s convention will make a final position on how to handle Tembo if he leaves his leadership post. Efforts to get MCP Northern Region chairperson James Kaunda on his phone proved futile on Friday.

While saying the party’s national executive committee (NEC) has not yet been informed about the delegates’ intentions to create an exit position for Tembo, MCP administrative secretary Potiphar Chidayaon Thursday said the delegates have no powers to create positions in the party.

“Our constitution provides that NEC can create offices in the party and not the convention. If Honourable Tembo says he is retiring, it is NEC which would sit down and create a position for him.

“I don’t want to go very far because it’s not something that has been decided yet,” said Chidaya.

But Chingaipe said it is not necessary for MCP to create any exit position for Tembo.

“This thing of creating exit positions is a culture that has developed in Malawi. This culture should not be encouraged because creating a position just for one person is personalising the law.

“When time is up for party leaders, they should learn to go and rest or do other things. If one has reached the highest position in the party, creating another position for them would mean having a position that is higher than that of presidency.

“UDF did the same for former president Bakili Muluzi. The result of this can be disastrous,” said Chingaipe. Tembo did not answer his phone yesterday.

MCP last month cancelled its long-awaited convention which attracted about 10 contestants for the party’s presidency including retired Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo, former Malawi Assemblies of God president Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, former Farmers Union of Malawi president Felix Jumbe and former Cabinet minister Joda Kanjere during to financial problems.