By Chisomo Phiri
United Transformation Movement (UTM) member and Minister of Tourism in the Tonse Alliance-led administration, Vera Kamtukule, says she is not ready to resign from her ministerial post despite her party exiting the Tonse Alliance partnership.
The UTM withdrawal was announced on Friday in Lilongwe, a month after a plane crash claimed the lives of State Vice-President and UTM founder Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others.
Nation on Sunday asked Kamtukule if she would resign over the party’s decision.
Kamtukule responded:”The reasons for which I accepted the appointment in the first place have not changed, so I am not resigning.”
When asked what the reasons were, she said:”That question should have been asked on July 11, 2020, when I took the oath of office.”
It is now up to UTM acting president Michael Usi, who earlier said he would comment later on his party’s decision.
Usi is now the Vice President in the Tonse Alliance Government following the death of Saulos Chilima.
Meanwhile, political analyst Wonderful Mkhutche says there will be no UTM-related resignations as most would choose their positions over the party.
“They are safer in their government positions, both politically and financially, than with the party. After all, UTM’s pull-out from Tonse Alliance has been marred with hastiness, and it is hard for one to follow the party out. This could have been different if it was done when Chilima was alive,” he observed.
Mkhutche noted that the lack of resignations is a sign of divisions in UTM but urged the party to stick to its decisions.
“They have already crossed the Rubicon. No more coming back to the alliance. To MCP, it is a message that they handled the alliance without certain considerations.
“However, that UTM is divided is clear, even to MCP. But they should not think that the prominent UTM people are not resigning because they are a better party. They remain in government because of government and not MCP,” he said.
MCP publicist Ezekiel Ching’oma said it is possible that factions exist within UTM, with one faction potentially advocating for the dissolution of the alliance.
He said they are waiting for official communication from UTM.
“Once received, we will convene as a party to strategize the next steps, and the nation will be informed accordingly,” he said.
Meanwhile, legal expert Gladwell Majekete has observed that UTM did not exhaust all avenues stipulated in the agreement before resolving to walk out of the alliance.
“One would also fault its conduct in as far as the alliance document is concerned that UTM did not exhaust the dispute resolution mechanisms as provided for in Article 5 of the agreement.
“In view of rules of construing agreements under contract law, UTM has violated the terms of the agreement by severing ties with MCP without invoking the dispute resolution mechanisms in the contract nor satisfying the requisite notice period,” the political scientist and governance scholar said.
Article 5 reads in part: “Where UTM and MCP have failed to resolve their differences in the manner outlined in sub-paragraph (1), they shall appoint three (3) arbitrators to be agreed by both parties. The arbitrators shall comprise a retired Judge, a member of the clergy, and any other person agreed by the parties. The decision of the arbitrators shall be final and binding on the parties.”
The agreement was signed in 2020 prior to the court-sanctioned Fresh Presidential Elections.
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