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| Columns |
| Backbencher |
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by
Anonymous, 28 May 2004
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13:19:08
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Honourable Folks, the general elections have robbed me of many of my astute colleagues whose contributions to debate in the august House were brilliant. But one person whose failure is nothing but good riddance is Khwauli Msiska from Karonga Nyungwe constituency.
I knew Khwauli when he was a human rights activist way before he became an MP on Aford ticket. As a champion of human rights, Khwauli gave an impression that he cared about democracy, rule of law, transparency and accountability and, perhaps more importantly, the supremacy of the Constitution.
It is probable that the people of Karonga Nyungwe cast their vote for him because they thought he cared for them and their rights. But Khwauli turned out to be a big disappointment when, out of the blues, he rose in the august House and moved a private member’s motion that the constitutional provision for a maximum two terms of office for the President be replaced with another that would allow a popular President an open term of office.
In essence, Khwauli was paving way for a “good” President to stay in office for life. Life presidency. But looking at how this year’s general elections were conducted, what really can stop a sitting President from using MBC, the Electoral Commission and other state institutions and resources to steal the vote and stay on?
Well, when I look at how former president Bakili Muluzi and UDF cadres took up the bid for open term and later, after it had been defeated, came up with a third term bid, I can’t help thinking that my human rights friend was actually being used by Muluzi to make his desire for life presidency look like a genuine national concern.
At what price? We saw later Khwauli and a few others in Aford being given ministerial posts. Their generosity even made Muluzi create a post of Minister Without Portfolio for Aford chair Chipimpha Mughogho. In other words, Khwauli betrayed us all for personal gains. I shall remain grateful to the people of Karonga Nyungwe for denying him their votes.
Malawians in the North have also done a great job punishing Aford for helping the Muluzi regime ruin the economy and making us all miserable. The change of Chihana’s tone from “mnganya uyu ni muheni” to “mnganya uyu ni muwemi” (this person is bad to this person is great) in reference to Muluzi showed he was taking people for granted.
Chihana assumed Aford members would simply “trust and obey” him as if he were God. Now that Aford, which in 1994 swept all the seats in the North, has only secured six seats this year, Chihana must have seen the writing on the wall and I doubt if he will ever take people for granted again.
But voters have not only chastised Khwauli and Aford. UDF too has never been this weak, securing a meagre 49 seats in a Parliament of 193. Whatever happened to the theory that the South is UDF stronghold!
Despite Atcheya spending billions of taxpayers’ money on political campaign trips and monopolising the use of MBC, TV and state resources, voters in many areas—including Machinga and Mangochi districts that form Muluzi’s home base—people rejected imposed candidates and voted for “independents”.
And this happened after Muluzi himself accused the “independents” of bringing confusion in UDF, urging party followers to have nothing to do with them. Bravo voters! In democracy, the right to choose leaders rests with the people, not presidents.
I’m sure Muluzi must be heaving a sigh of relief now that his party has secured the presidency. I’m told he wants to go with His Excellency President Bingu wa Mutharika to the Centre and the North to say “thank you” to the voters. My advice is that Muluzi must not forget to thank opposition candidates.
They are the ones who helped Mutharika rise to power when they selfishly sliced the majority no-to-UDF vote among the four of them—Gwanda Chakuamba, John Tembo, Brown Mpinganjira and Justin Malewezi. Otherwise, the opposition would have ruled in both the Executive and Legislature this year, thanks to Muluzi’s autocratic leadership which has cost UDF the overwhelming support it once enjoyed.
As for the opposition, they shouldn’t blame rigging or anything else for their failure in the presidential race. They failed because of their greed which prevented them from working together despite the fact that their manifestos read like different versions of the same Bible. Democracy has given them a raw deal they deserve!
I guess at this point, I must congratulate His Excellency President Mutharika on his victory. I liked his inaugural speech and so too did most of my constituents. Mutharika was bold enough to set an agenda different from the one Atcheya was using to run his so-called “political government” which was blind to corruption, fiscal mismanagement and inefficiency.
I know Mutharika’s agenda is a bitter pill to swallow, especially by other UDF leaders who were beneficiaries of Muluzi’s extravagance but ignoring the agenda is as good as committing suicide. There is no easier route to a better Malawi.
Mutharika, put your foot down and, as others have said before, walk the talk.
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