By Pemphero Malimba:
The main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has come under fire for the recent reassignments made since its elective convention held in August this year.
Since the convention, party president Peter Mutharika has been reassigning people from the positions they were elected to by party delegates to new roles.
For example, Nsanje Lalanje parliamentarian Gladys Ganda, who was elected as director of elections, has been reassigned to the position of presidential advisor, while Charles Mchacha, who was elected director of operations, was reassigned last week to the role of regional governor for the South.
Mchacha had been holding the position until the convention, where he was elected director of operations.
Mutharika has further appointed some leaders who were defeated in various positions at the convention as presidential advisors.
This move has raised eyebrows regarding the effectiveness of electing leaders during a convention.
Political commentator George Chaima said the reassignments undermine the will of the people.
“As much as the president is given the power to reassign leaders, it contradicts the will of the people, which defeats the whole purpose of why democracy must prevail in a political party,” Chaima said.
He added that the development has the potential to negatively affect the performance of some leaders within the party.
According to Chaima, there might be an issue of discontent among the party’s followers because the people speak and the leadership contradicts that.
“Some of these leaders, who are being moved from their elected positions, may also exhibit discontent and a loss of interest in serving in those other roles.
“You may be elected to a position that is stronger according to the will of the people but the president may remove you from that top position to a weaker role where you are not satisfied. Your performance may decline, ultimately diminishing your interest in the party,” he said.
Another political and governance analyst, Victor Chipofya, noted that the act of reassigning leaders portrays a negative picture of the party’s stance on respect for the rule of law.
“Given the power to govern the country, they might not respect the rule of law because, obviously, the law within the DPP is that the convention is the highest level at which members of the party choose their leaders for various positions.
“If someone undermines that and that person aspires to be head of state, it is very detrimental for us as a country to have such a person in a position of leadership,” Chipofya said.
He added that the party was supposed to adhere to the will of the people.
“Yes, it might seem strategic, but I believe they have a national working committee and a national executive council.
“They should have convened a meeting and consulted the delegates to seek their views on what the next move should be, rather than allowing one person to make that decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, DPP publicity secretary Shadrick Namalomba told The Daily Times in a written response that the reassignments were being made to strengthen the party.
“This is not the first time such reassignments have taken place in our party. It is all part of our efforts to strengthen and solidify our party as a serious contender for the 2025 elections,” Namalomba said.
He added that the party was dedicated to utilising the talent available among its leaders to achieve its goal of returning to power.
“Rest assured that this is just one of many exciting developments to come. It is worth noting that the leaders who have been reassigned were originally elected by delegates during our party’s convention in August.
“Please know that this does not undermine the choices made by our delegates. Additionally, it is important to mention that at the same convention, the delegates granted our president the authority to make reassignments as needed, as long as it serves the best interests of our party,” he said.
Ganda’s reassignment came barely a day after she praised President Lazarus Chakwera for a number of projects government is implementing in the Shire Valley, where she comes from.
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