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As leadership squabbles in the mighty opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) continues, the Party’s Secretary General Gustav Kaliwo has written a nine-paged letter to the Party President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera advising him to tread carefully.
In a letter dated September 13 2016 addressed to Chakwera seen by FaceofMalawi reporter, Kaliwo has complained of the ill-treatment he received during the emergency NEC meeting convened earlier this month which saw some top officials been being fired while others being suspended.
In the letter Kaliwo has also faulted the decision by NEC meeting to fire some to officials holding dissenting views, saying the decision was not right.
“Although my views of the NEC meeting of 7th September 2016 will become very clear in the body of this letter I welcomed the meeting as forum to address the many opportunities (appearing in the form of challenges) that the party has been experiencing in the recent past. I was hoping that as President your approach at the beginning and throughout the “NEC” meeting should have been conciliatory, if not even apologetic (owning the mess and embarrassment that the party has been dragged through) with the goal of empowering the NEC Members to speak without fear of being branded rebels or anything.
“If that particular NEC meeting were to be the success which it should have been, it should not have been used as a praise-singing forum or indeed a forum to castigate people perceived to be in disagreement with you. By coming up with the resolutions to dismiss and suspend some members, a golden opportunity to strengthen our party was lost,” wrote Kaliwo.
Kaliwo also in the letter backed some officials who are calling for emergency convention, saying it is the only solution to the challenges that the party is going through now.
He further said that now the Party is being compared likened to the reign of John Tembo where opponents were being harassed.
“Mr. President, the recent decision by “NEC” fails on that test. Some people are comparing us with the intolerant MCP of the past.
“You may wish to recall in the recent past, the challenges that Hon. JZU Tembo faced from the likes of late Hon. Chafukila, the Ted Kalebes etc, even his own Secretary General, Hon. Chris Daza. The party showed restraint, and even allowed Hon. Daza to remain in office until the convention. This is the level of tolerance that is expected of a party that intends to divorce itself from its ugly past,” said Kaliwo.
Meanwhile Chakwera is yet to respond to the letter.
