Still waiting for Mam’s

By Emmanuel Luciano
THE Musicians Association of Malawi (Mam) has been in the news not for the wrong reasons as some would have it but for the right ones. This association’s executive is yet to hold its Annual General Meeting three years after being ushered into office.
Reason the powers that be in Mam give for failing to hold even a single AGM, for a grouping that represents the interests of musicians in the country, has always been lack of funds.
More recently, the association failed to hold a scheduled AGM in Mzuzu as the year was drawing to an end for the same reason of lack of finances.
The going has been a rough one for the executive that is yet to produce audited accounts of its operations in the three years that it has been in office. It was not surprising, therefore, to see squabbling and heckling characterising the running of affairs in Musicians Association of Malawi.
But with only three months to go before the month of April, when the mandate of the present executive committee expires, according to its president Wellington Chatepa, it appears the storm of trouble rocking the association is failing to abate.
Wellington Chatepa says the association will hold its AGM in April not anytime between as previously arranged.
This has irked some quarters within the association that feel the executive is unconstitutionally running the organisation by not holding the AGM.
Chatepa says they are trying to raise funds for the April AGM to take place without any hurdles.
“Actually the elections are due in April that is when our mandate expires. We had no AGM all these years because we had no money. The one we were to hold in Mzuzu failed to take place because we only had K50 000 which came from Mr. Wawanya one of the trustees instead of K400 000,” he says.
Chatepa dismisses those who were agitating for ‘early’ elections as individuals who were just bent on ousting the existing committee for unknown reason.
Overton Chimombo, one of the candidates that were ready to pit themselves against Chatepa in the failed Mzuzu AGM, however, says the executive is executing the functions of the association illegally.
“Holding the AGM in April is against the wishes of the majority of the people. There were issues that the office is being personalised a lot and that’s why we called for an AGM.
“According to our constitution, the president or the secretary cannot approve anything without the approval of the general assembly. Even the spending that is being done now is illegal because it has not been approved by the general assembly. There is no accountability. Right now we hear the president is busy conducting some Mam projects with funding from donors in the Centre but how do donors find activities of the association without audited accounts? Chimombo asks.
Vice secretary for Mam’s southern region chapter Diwa Khwiliro says members did not agree to shift the AGM to the month of April.
“We agreed that the elections or the AGM be held as soon as we have the money. If we find sponsors today we can have the election this week. The president is not a trust to make that decision alone,” Khwiliro says.
But Mam central region chapter chairman Edward Munjeru says holding the AGM in April would only be the rightful decision.
“The term of office is really supposed to end in April and that’s when we should have the lections because by then we will have found people to sponsor us,” says Munjeru.
Chairman of the trustees Geoff Gondwe says it was disappointing that members did not understand the significance of holding an AGM.
“Lack of money should not be a reason for acting unconstitutionally. That’s the price you pay for democracy. People should not water down AGMs because it is at this meeting where leaders renew their mandate. You can’t execute plans without the authority of the people who put you in office.
“It is at AGMs where plans and budgets of the organisation are approved. The assembly looks at the expenses incurred or whether they have spent within budgets.
Gondwe says he expects the association to have audited accounts ready by they hold the AGM.
“If they want to have the AGM in April, perhaps they want to give themselves time to prepare. The accounts haven’t been audited all these years and as a constitution requirement their books have to be done prior to the AGM,” he says.