PP to decide on newcomers’ polls participation at convention

Ruling People’s Party (PP) will hold a convention this year and the participation of Cabinet ministers and members of Parliament, who have just joined the party, will be determined by the convention’s working committee.

A senior party official said this week PP’s constitution bars anyone with less than 12 months of membership from being elected into any position.
But secretary general Henry Chibwana, while confirming the convention will take place in August or September this year, said the fate of the new comers will be decided by the convention’s working committee.

Chibwana said it would be judging the situation to state whether the newcomers would be allowed to participate in the elections but was quick to add that the working committee will scrutinise the candidature of all interested people to determine their eligibility.

On the PP’s constitution barring other people from contesting, Chibwana said: “It is a draft constitution. It was meant for registration purposes. Sometimes you move outside the box depending on circumstances. But membership is open to all Malawians. The working committee will decide on the new comers.”
The main agenda of the convention, which is expected to have over 3 000 delegates, is to elect officer bearers. He said since the party was formed, all positions have been on interim basis and the convention will now give the members chance to vote for the people they want.

One of the new members, Uladi Mussa, who disbanded his Maravi People’s Party to join PP and was later appointed Minister of Home Affairs on Wednesday said he was not worried that PP’s constitution bars him from any position at the convention.
Said Mussa: “What matters in politics is loyalty and allegiance to the leadership. I have not come to the party for any position. Positions do not matter. I do not believe in positions. It is up to the President to make decisions on that.”

One Cabinet minister, who did not want to be named, said it would be unfair to sideline those who have joined the party to support it run government. The minister said their support for government should not be taken for granted.

Said the minister: “That constitution was made by people and it can be changed to accommodate the current situation which was not foreseen at the time it was being formulated.”

Some ministers and MPs have defected to PP following the death of former president Bingu wa Mutharika who was also leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

But Chancellor College political scientist Joseph Chunga advised PP not to change its convention to accommodate the defectors.