MCP convention faces hurdles

Opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) convention scheduled for next month in Lilongwe is said to be rocked with uncertainties, challenges and several hurdles to be overcome before the set date.

Among others, MCP is still struggling to come up with a budget for the meet and also to mend the sour relationship between president John Tembo and the secretary general Chris Daza.

Despite optimism from MCP director of the convention Joseph Njobvuyalema that the convention will be held as scheduled, Daza, on the other hand, trashed the whole preparatory process.

In an interview on Tuesday, Njobvuyalema said the party is yet to come up with a budget for the convention, but he added that despite such a development the party already sees some financing challenges.

 He said: “We just have a picture of how much we will spend to accommodate the 800 delegates, providing transportation and food for all the delegates for four days, working on IDs for the delegates, party clothes to be distributed and other miscellaneous, we know that we are talking of huge sums of money.”

Njobvuyalema, although optimistic that the convention will go ahead as scheduled, said at the moment, the party is seeking additional funding from well wishers.

During the convention slated for April 27 at the Natural Resources College (NRC), MCP, which ruled the country from independence in 1964 to the dawn of plural politics in 1994, is expected to elect its president who will lead the party in the 2014 presidential race.

Tembo, who has been facing resistance from contesting, is likely to face challenge from Daza and Nkhotakota Central Member of Parliament Edwin Banda.

Njobvuyalema said so far the party has not yet started receiving nominations for candidates as the party was still working on the nomination forms.