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by
Steven Nhlane, 20 February 2004
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13:17:50
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Raw deal for Aford
As I said in an earlier Diary several months ago, Aford has a very weak negotiating position in the UDF/Aford alliance. The main problem is Chihana’s position as Second Vice President of Malawi.
The fact of the matter is that, as expected, Chihana is the one who is pulling the shots in Aford. There is very little that the Aford czar decrees in the party and his officials have the nerve to scorn, ignore or forsake.
Now look at Chihana. The man lost a court case against the State to pay him retirement benefits for his 20-month stint when Aford was in a government of national unity with the UDF from September 1994 to May 19996. A chance has now availed itself again for him to regain what he lost during his party’s marriage with UDF. Would it make sense for him to jeopardise the lucrative package again?
There are those who may not know what is at stake for Chihana. This man must be salivating at the package which is dangling before his eyes and now only two-and-a-half months away. While civil servants have to work for 20 years to qualify for a retirement package or work for at least 10 years and be 55 years old, by May, this year Chihana will have worked for just 12 months as Second Vice President. And out of that he will be getting the following for the rest of his life:
Lump sum gratuity calculated in accordance with the Civil Service formula or one year tax-free salary, whichever is greater.
Tax-free monthly pension at 50 percent of the Vice President’s salary. One motor car. Except where a house is provided at Government expense, a monthly housing allowance equal to 40 percent of his salary at the time of his retirement as Vice President.
Other benefits: free electricity, free water, free medical services. One cook, one chauffeur, one gardener, one security guard. Duty-free importation of one motor vehicle once in every five years. In each year, one return air ticket and his spouse. Housing allowance for staff. Medical insurance for the former Vice President, the spouse and children under the age of 18 years.
Now tell me if with that package, from just one year’s service, Chihana can mandate his negotiating team to go out with loose tongues and threaten the UDF with anything and thereby put on the line his job and retirement package? That is the reason Chihana did not have good words for those who plotted against President Bakili Muluzi’s third term bid. Anyway, what could the man have done? Remember his outbursts against the clergy?
That is why I am saying that the team mandated to negotiate Aford’s position in a UDF/Aford coalition government have very little bargaining power. The best they will do is get heavy cuts for themselves as individuals but not for Aford as a party. I can assure you the guys will not come out empty-handed, but what they will settle for will be too little for the liking of the party.
What Aford has been crying for to have Chihana stand as a running mate and in exchange for that let UDF field candidates in the North, or let go of the running mate position and not allow UDF to field candidates in the North, are both a handful for the UDF.
I can also guarantee that Aford will be treated to a raw deal in the MOU the two parties will sign. One thing that is clear is that UDF aspiring MPs in the North will not let their chances of ever becoming MPs slip away. Ask me after nominations if a majority of them will not stand as independents.
As for the confusion and violence that UDF has been visited with during the party’s primaries, blame should be put squarely on two groups of people. First, the aspiring candidates themselves. These people have been investing so much—not in development projects for all to see and appreciate—but sadly in people they thought would help them sail through the preliminaries. The beneficiaries have mostly been district officials.
Secondly, officials at district or higher level have been pocketing money indiscriminately. With the culture of money-handouts domiciled, rampant and worshipped in the party, the officials have been getting money from anyone who has it and was ready to give out. That is why I totally agree with Blantyre Rural East MP Henry Phoya when he says those who want to spend on politics should not use their resources down to the last penny. The pain of throwing all your money down the drain—when you lose—becomes a big recipe for violence. |
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