JZU BACK AS OPPOSITION LEADER

It’s now official: Mr. John Tembo, Malawi Congress Party president is the party’s candidate on the position of the Leader of Opposition.

This follows a caucus by MCP members of parliament in Lilongwe on Sunday on the issue.

Twenty five MCP MP’s attended the caucus.

Mr. Lingison Belekanyama, member of parliament for Lilongwe Nsinja, is one these MP’s, and explains what transpired at the one-day caucus.

The nomination of Mr. Tembo comes hot on the hills of Lilongwe High Court Justice Mzikamanda’s call that the party should nominate and submit a name of a candidate to the Speaker for the position of Leader of Opposition within fourteen days

Speaking to ZBS on Sunday MCP Taskforce Chairperson, Mr. Bornface Kadzamira, said it was high time the party elected someone else other than Mr. John Tembo as a candidate on the position of the Leader of Opposition.

Mr. Kadzamira said that the exclusion of Mr. Tembo on the position would have meant Mr. Tembo is willing to let new blood lead the party in the 2014 elections.

I asked Mr. Kadzamira what the Taskforce would do in the event that Mr. Tembo was chosen.

Last year Malawi Congress Party President, Mr. John Tembo, sued the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Henry Chimunthu-Banda for failure to recognize him as Leader of Opposition .

Before it was amended, Standing Order 3(3) stipulated that the leader of the largest party in parliament be recognized as the Leader of the Opposition.

And last Friday, in his three and half hour ruling, Lilongwe High Court Judge, Justice Rezine Mzikamanda, said the Speaker had acted unconstitutionally by failing to abide by Standing Order 3(3).

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how the dramatic u-turn of events will unfold when parliament convenes on 24th May.