Muluzi stopped from resigning

Bakili Muluzi, apart from his illness, he will now have to worry about the UDF party that has been snatched away from him by Kennedy Makwangwala.

By Emmanuel Sobilika

Former president of the Republic of Malawi Bakili Muluzi has been stopped from resigning from his position as the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) party national chairman, Malawi Digest understands.

The UDF national executive committee stopped Muluzi from resigning before he left Malawi for the United Kingdom.

Our sources say that the opposition UDF Nec stopped Muluzi from resigning in order to force him to clear the leadership mess that he has caused in the opposition party.

Sources within the opposition UDF had disclosed to Malawi Digest that soon after the humiliating defeat the opposition MCP/UDF alliance faced in the May 19th Presidential and Parliamentary polls, Muluzi summoned a national executive committee meeting at his house in BCA Hill when he expressed his intentions to resign.

The former Malawian leader said he wanted to hand over the leadership of the party to new blood that can steer the party into victory in the 2014 elections.

However, the opposition UDF Nec stopped their national chairman quitting the post saying he must first clear the mess that he caused in the party during the 15 years he has led the political group.

“It is a well known fact that our chair Bakili Muluzi has messed up the UDF and you can imagine that the party went to the polls without a Presidential candidate,” he said.

The UDF national executive member said that therefore, it was felt that the UDF needed Muluzi more now than ever before for him to clear his own problems.

“We told him we cannot allow him resign before cleaning his own mess which many party loyalists feel is as a result of selfishness on the part of Bakili Muluzi,” he said.

He said although Muluzi tried to resist that he resigns, many of the Nec members agreed that Muluzi needed to sort out the UDF house before quitting.

“It was felt he was trying to run away from problems of his own making in the party,” he said.

Meanwhile, problems in the opposition UDF party don’t seem to be coming to an end and Secretary General of the party, Kennedy Makwangwala has snatched away the leadership of the party from Bakili Muluzi.

Speaking to Malawi Digest in interview in Blantyre a short while ago, Makwangwala said that he had taken over leadership of the party in order to re-organise UDF before a national convention is held.

“I have taken over leadership of this party and will only relinquish the position after the party’s national convention,” said the blunt Makwangwala.

He said his role at the moment is to re-organise the party before the next party convention.

After ruling the country for a decade, the power starved Muluzi three times tried to rape the Malawi Constitution but on all these times, he failed in his missions.

Muluzi is currently in the United Kingdom where he is reported to be receiving medical help.

He left the country in July after visiting the whole country Malawi campaigning for MCP’s John Tembo to become President of Malawi.

Although the two leaders and parties joined forces they were humbled by the Democratic Progressive Party and Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika-Malawi Digest.