War within: MCP to fire Jumbe

As calls for expulsion of opposition Malawi Congress Party [MCP] Member of Parliament for Salima Central Felix Jumbe from the party continue to mount, its leader Dr Lazarus Chakwera says the party’s officials have the power to fire Jumbe from the party.

At a rally Chakwera held on Sunday at Kanyenda primary school in Nkhotakota, central region senior party officials took turns to castigate Jumbe saying they are no longer interested to work with him regarding party affairs.

Regional chairman for lake-shore Augustine Chidzanja lambasted Jumbe saying he has no capabilities of heading Malawi Congress Party.

“Sitimuopa! Constituency ikumukanika kuyendetsa. Akukanika kuchita chitukutuko. Ku chipani tsono u president angakwanitse kuyendetsa? [We are not afraid of him! He has failed to run and develop his constituency. Therefore, would he afford to lead a party?],” he said.

The party is accusing the embattled former Farmers Union of Malawi [FUM] president of playing ‘double standards’ in the party.

Jumbe who is also the Parliamentary committee chairman on Agriculture has of late been featured on MBC TV’s Chindunji talk show chiding the party’s leadership.

But asked to speak on the matter, Chakwera told reporters after the rally that central region lakeshore shore officials of the party will decide whether to keep or kick him out of the party.

“I think they would be the best persons to explain this and see what they want to do because I am a host here. I did not come here to talk about anybody else so you better ask the regional people about that,” Chakwera said.

Spokesperson for central region lakeshore committee Peter Mazizi asked Jumbe to come out in the open and explain his membership in the main opposition party.

Said Mazizi: “Everybody is feeling sorry for Honourable Jumbe because MCP is a family. So being one us, we thought we would have been doing the same things.

“Now that he is doing the opposite, that is why people are coming out asking him whether to keep him in the party or not. So the best is that he better resign from the party so that he should be a free man.”

Mazizi further likened Jumbe to a ‘rotten egg’ that needs to be thrown out of the party.

“If you are holding a rotten cake or egg in your hand and you eat it, what it means is that you are inviting more diseases. The best way is to throw it away,” he added.

When contacted to speak on the issue, Jumbe did not answer his phone.

Among the party’s senior members conspicuously missing at the rally included vice president Richard Msowoya, spokesperson Jessie Kabwila as well as honourable Felix Jumbe himself.