Prominent business magnet and private sector captain Newton Kambala, who is among five UTM party presidential aspirants, has declared that once elected at the forthcoming national delegates conference, he will not be the party’s automatic torchbearer for the 2025 general election.
Kambala, a former Energy Minister and ex President of Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, spoke early this week when he presented his nomination papers ahead of UTM’s elective conference scheduled for 17th November in Mzuzu.
His declaration, rare in Malawian politics, has earned him praise within UTM party and aroused public interest, with political analyst George Chaima describing it as “a sense of patriotism and neutralism worth emulating by others”.
Kambala, one of the key founders of UTM party and a front liner, had presented his nomination papers in grand style, including crisscrossing the Capital Lilongwe in a procession of state of the art cars accompanied by scores of his supporters—from the Memorial Tower Park to UTM headquarters in Area 10.
Amid ululations, handclapping and stare of journalists, Kambala presented his papers, stating: “In Malawi and Africa, people always think that being a party leader, one automatically becomes a torchbearer for that party in a general election.
“It is wrong and driven by hunger for power. We need to fight against this if we have to bring good leadership in this country”.
Kambala emphasized that he is open for discussion on the matter with UTM leadership and all the members towards the general election.
“If they can evaluate me as still the most suitable person to be on the ballot paper, well and good. But if they bring somebody else more strategic than myself, I am more than ready to surrender the opportunity to that person and fully support him or her,” he said.
Meanwhile, renowned political analyst George Chaima has described Kambala’s sentiments as “rare kind of politics of patriotism and neutralism worth emulating by others”.
“The reason party presidents are elected is to be in the driving seat of the boat. If Kambala believes that he cannot take the boat to the last mile as a captain, his proposal to surrender the mantle to the best race keeper is the best he can do.
“If you choose to put the nation first, you have to demonstrate that you care. Kambala has demonstrated unreservedly that he is a patriot who cares about this nation and that he can truly serve Malawians in any capacity,” Chaima said.
Other UTM party presidential aspirants are: Dr. Michael Usi, who is current party president and also State Vice President, Dr. Dalitso Kabambe, Dr. Matthews Mtumbuka and Dr. Patricia Kaliati.
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