Maravi

UNIP welcomes Masheke's return

UNIP welcomes Masheke's return
By Kelvin Tembo and Namakau Nalumango
Thursday May 08, 2008 [04:00]

GENERAL Malimba Masheke will be welcomed like the prodigal son, UNIP deputy secretary general Reverend Alfred Banda has said. And former secretary to the Cabinet in the UNIP era, Sketchley Sacika has encouraged Gen Masheke to aspire for the UNIP leadership. Rev Banda said his party was surprised to hear that Gen Masheke was claiming to have re-joined UNIP.

“We wish to remind him and all those who left the party to come back through the front door and not through the window or the back door. They will be welcomed like the prodigal son who was welcomed by the father,” Rev Banda said.

He said a person of Gen Masheke’s calibre was supposed to denounce and re-join at a public meeting so that the members of the party were aware of his comeback.

Rev Banda said the party was not aware of Gen Masheke’s return because there was no record of him having left FDD to rejoin UNIP at any level of the party organs.

“All we know is that he is a losing presidential candidate for the FDD convention which took place prior to the 2006 tripartite elections and the party constitution is clear on how defected members can rejoin,” he said.

Rev Banda said the party was aware Gen Masheke was involved with former members of UNIP who were in MMD.
He advised Gen Masheke to demonstrate sincerity and not rejoin the party secretly.

Rev Banda also reminded Gen Masheke that UNIP rejected him at a congress in Ndola and FDD also rejected him at their recent congress in Kabwe.

He also said the party had nothing to fear from the politics of Gen Masheke whose time had gone.

Rev Banda said UNIP president Tilyenji Kaunda was ready to hold a congress next year but could not do that without adequate preparations.

Gen Masheke on Monday said the Tilyenji leadership was illegally in office and indicated that he would consider contesting the UNIP presidency.

Some members of UNIP in Mambwe have called on Tilyenji to step down and call for a congress.

But Tilyenji has insisted that he was firmly anchored in the leadership of the party.

Meanwhile, Sacika said there were many members throughout the country that would support Gen Masheke on account of his political maturity and long association with the leadership of UNIP.

“Under Kenneth Kaunda, UNIP was known to be a political party that religiously adhered to the dictates of its constitution and its leadership never failed to renew its mandate regularly as required by the party constitution,” he said. “But a clique of people who have lost their mandate to leadership is now holding UNIP hostage.

”Sacika observed that what was happening in UNIP was a farce which brought into question the role of Registrar of Societies.

“How can the Registrar of Societies allow such an illegality to take place in such an important political organisation?” he asked.
Sacika said UNIP was a public institution which deserved to be protected under the laws of the land.

He said that rather than allow Tilyenji and his cronies to destroy a public institution, the Registrar of Societies should take over affairs of the party and organise a congress at which a new leadership would be elected.

“Tilyenji and his cronies cannot undertake this assignment because they have no constitutional or legal mandate to do so,” he said.
Sacika is also a former FDD chairperson.

Labels: MALIMBA MASHEKE, UNIP

posted by MrK @ 9:54 PM