Political infighting could destabilise govt

Political divisions in Malawi were set to deepen after a meeting at the weekend to discuss the possible expulsion of the country's president from the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party for alleged misconduct. "The meeting is intended to fire [President Bingu wa] Mutharika for being ungrateful to a party that sponsored him to become president," UDF secretary-general Kennedy Makwangwala reportedly told Agence France Presse late on Sunday. Party spokesman Salule Masangwi on Monday confirmed the UDF National Executive Committee meeting, saying it had been called to "explore" ways of "dealing with the wrangle between President Mutharika and the party". "Mutharika's position within the UDF was on the agenda, but no resolution has been made. He is still a member of the UDF, and there is every intention of continuing the dialogue between the party and the government to sort out our differences." Masangwi would not be drawn on the reasons behind Mutharika's possible ousting from the party ranks. A deep rift has appeared between supporters of Mutharika and former president Bakili Muluzi, who retains party chairmanship, after a government crackdown on corruption that has netted several senior UDF officials who served under Muluzi. Earlier this month Mutharika accused four senior party officials of trying to assassinate him, but the charges were later dropped. In a new twist to the political standoff, the UDF has dissolved all its regional branches. Masangwi said the move was based on poor performance in local elections, but added that there were also growing concerns over "divided loyalties" among local chapter members. "There are some members of the regional committees who are intentionally fuelling the differences between Mutharika and the UDF, in order to gain favours from the government. The UDF cannot afford these divided loyalties, and so it's quite clear that these branches will have to be dissolved and reconstituted at a later stage," he told IRIN. Political analysts have warned that, should Mutharika be expelled from the party, the UDF could see further splintering. "It would political suicide for the UDF, especially since the goal of a political party is to attain power. Without the highest politician on your side, it would be extremely difficult for the UDF to command the respect of the people. Already alliances have be formed among disgruntled UDF members who are dissatisfied with the manner in which this issue is being dealt with," said Rafiq Hajat, director of the Institute for Policy Interaction. Mutharika would need to step up his attempts to enlarge and entrench his political power base in coming months, Hajat added. Muluzi, who ruled Malawi for a decade, handpicked Mutharika to run as his successor. A technocrat plucked from relative political obscurity, Mutharika heads a ruling coalition but holds no leadership position in the party. According to Edge Kanyongolo, a law lecturer at the University of Malawi's Chancellor College, the ongoing power struggle is likely to impact on the government's ability to get legislation passed when parliament reopens. "I expect those who support Muluzi will embark on a strategy to frustrate the government at every turn; this will lead to delays in implementing legislation and, subsequently, impact on the governance of the country," Kanyongolo commented. He warned that a protracted tussle between the UDF and Mutharika could lead to increased insecurity and disillusionment over the government's ability to address major social and economic concerns. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 65 percent of the population living on less than a dollar a day. Kanyongolo noted that the donor-dependent country could not afford further instability. "While the donor community is unlikely to take an active role towards resolving this issue, they will at some point have to become involved. They are perhaps already concerned that funds intended to support the upliftment programmes may instead be used to win political support among politicians," he said.