Kabwila, MCP reconcile
The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) renegade politician, who is also Salima North West legislator, Jessie Kabwila is on the path to mend fences with her party.
Kabwila, who until the recent MCP convention was the party’s spokesperson, had been among the estranged group of the party’s former national executive committee (NEC) members describing the party’s new positions as illegal.
But yesterday, she was seen at the party’s vice-president Sidik Mia’s public meeting held in her constituency. During the meeting, Kabwila asked Mia to help her solve political problems in the constituency.
She said: “Mr vice-president, I would like you to help me solve the problems that we are having here. It seems I am small this needs someone senior like you.”
According to Kabwila, the divisions trickled down to her constituency where there were two parallel party structures, with one constituency chairperson being on the side of Kabwila while the other claims to represent the ‘real MCP’.
In response, Mia urged the party followers to work together with Kabwila and build the party as they inch towards the 2019 Tripartite Elections.
Said Mia: “I would like to urge you to work together as MCP members with Hon. Kabwila and move forward. We are going to sort out the other differences later.”
This was at the beginning of a whistle-stop tour Mia conducted between Salima and Nkhotakota.
In an interview, Kabwila said Mia’s stop in her constituency means that she is still being recognised as an MCP legislator.
“On top of that, his coming has intervened on a long-standing issue where my constituency chairperson was removed and there was another one instead. He has said we now need to run things the way the party is supposed to.”
In his remarks, Nkhotakota district chairperson Fredrick Kachembwe said there is need for the party’s NEC to set a date for primaries so that he can start promoting the candidates.
In his response, Mia said the date for primaries is an internal issue which has already been discussed and soon the dates will be announced.
During the tour, Mia made seven stops within Nkhotakota South East and Nkhotakota South at places such as Benga, Kasangadzi, Chipelera, Mapala and Mwansambo Turnoff also known as Mkaika.
