….. Analysts say order is undemocratic
The UTM Party has made a stern directive, ordering their members to stop attending government functions with immediate effect.
The party’s secretary General, Patricia Kaliati made the directive on Tuesday during a press conference held at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre.
UTM party, formerly a key partner in the Tonse Alliance withdrew from the pact after the death of their founding leader, Saulos Klaus Chilima who was also Malawi’s vice president.
Chilima died on 10 June this year along with 8 others in a tragic plane accident involving a Malawi Defence Force aircraft in Chikangawa forest, Mzimba District.
According to Kaliati, though the party’s incumbent president, Michael Usi was appointed to the office of state vice president by President Lazarus Chakwera, the resolution to pull out of the alliance remains in force, urging all party followers to respect the move.
She therefore directed all party supporters to cease attending government functions on the pretext that the UTM is no longer a member of the governing Tonse Alliance government.
Concurring with Kaliati, UTM National Publicity Secretary, Felix Njawala urged party members and followers to distinguish between party and government functions.
On the relationship with the party’s leader, Michael Usi, Njawala highlighted that as a law-abiding party, UTM duly recognizes Usi as their leader and that members will support him at party functions.
Political analyst, George Chaima has condemned the move to bar UTM members from attending government functions saying it is undemocratic.
“Democratically, whether UTM or MCP, AFORD or DPP, PP or PPM, the people are the government. If any member of the UTM chooses to attend a government function, it is within his or her right, not their leaders’,”
He added: “No one has to seek permission to attend government functions while he is a legible citizen. I think UTM must find the best solution to deal with their disgruntledness and affinity for power. After all, we are in a government whose citizen number two is UTM president. This must be ignored and condemned entirely.”
Meanwhile, Njawala has disclosed that the party will hold its elective convention in November this year, though he was non-committal on the venue.
