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Members of Parliament for the troubled Republican Party from the Lower Shire fear Chakuamba so much that they cannot work against him or they may lose their political popularity and eventually their seats.
The MPs expressed the fear in the wake of divisions among the MPs after party president Gwanda Chakuamba joined the newly formed Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for President Bingu wa Mutharika..
Member of Parliament for Chikwawa South Charles Luya said it is difficult to work against Chakuamba in this division if you want to survive politically.
“Chakuamba controls politics in the Lower Shire and people follow whatever he decides. You cannot work against him because people will turn against you and that can be the end politically,” he said.
Asked about the side he has taken in the division, the MP said it is not a question of thinking or choosing about where to go but rather follow what the Lower Shire giant decides.
“If I say I have a chance to choose then I will be lying but I have to follow Hon Chakuamba because he is the leader in the Lower Shire and everyone, including myself, follows. If I dare not do that, then that is the end of me politically,” he said.
Luya disclosed that some people have been promised positions in the cabinet and other places if they support the DPP. He refused to disclose the names saying he does not have to be personal.
Other MPs in the Lower Shire said they would support Chakuamba. Harry Genti of Nsanje South said he would support his former president in the RP because people from his constituency supported the idea.
But MPs from the North said they are now consulting in order to give out the final stand. Member of Parliament for Mzimba South Abbie Shawa said he needs to talk to both camps and then come up with the final decision.
He said he would talk to Chakuamba and then to Masauli before making a stand that would benefit his constituents. He said he is aware of the consequences of rushing to make decisions.
Pisho Nkhwazi said he is in a dilemma at present but would still need to consult because the situation is really complicated. He said events have moved so fast that even the electorate is failing to understand.
“The executive meeting which took place in Lilongwe agreed that the decision to dissolve would come after consulting the grassroots through the convention and we told our supporters. But now before that convention, the party has been reportedly dissolved; what are we going to tell our people?” he asked.
He, however, said the final decision on the matter will be based on his personal conviction because no one has approached him to explain about what is happening.
Benjamin Banda of Mzimba Southeast said he needs to talk to friends and supporters on the issue because it has also taken him by surprise.
“What has happened is like you are in an aeroplane and the pilot has jumped through the window. You have no choice but to look for someone who can drive it till you land safely,” he said.
Banda was last month quizzed by his constituents to explain about the reports that the party was disbanding and joining the DPP.
But Mzuzu City MP Good Kaira attacked Chakuamba for trying to make decision in the party when in essence he was already out by joining the DPP.
“Chapter 5, section 5(6) of the party constitution says anyone affiliated to another party ceases to be the member of the RP. Since Chakuamba joined the DPP he ceased to be a member of RP and has no power to dissolve it,” he said.
Meanwhile political scientists have said former Republican Party (RP) president Gwanda Chakuamba is heading for the end of his political career as he has lost public trust.
They have also described his recent political behaviour as political prostitution of the highest order.
Nixon Khembo of the University of Malawi said it would be chaotic if Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) trusted Chakuamba because he “has behaved like a chameleon in the recent past and he changes colours to suit his needs.
“Chakuamba is an opportunist. He goes into different political arrangements not because he wants to serve the nation but to obtain the presidency which he is craving for. That is why he dumped MCP, led the Mgwirizano coalition and now he has bulldozed his way in the DPP as the vice president. All he is practising is politics of the belly just for his own survival,” said Khembo.
Another political analyst also from Chancellor College Boniface Dulani said Chakuamba is a spent force in politics who feels bitter for not becoming the country’s president and would use other people to get what he wants.
He said Chakuamba is practising politics of the belly for his own survival and he is digging his own political grave by doing so.
“He promised to retire from politics because he thought he would win the presidency. Then he abandoned the elections case because he new it would take too long and formed a government of national unity with UDF for his own interest. He has also dumped his own party to join DPP because it is the DPP that is controlling resources,” said Dulani.
Head of political and administrative studies at Chancellor College Mustaffa Hussein said the movements indicate that Chakuamba has no clear vision or ideology which he pursues and that he has loyalists who follow him blindly creating the impression that he is a highly esteemed leader.
“As a leader Chakuamba has failed to show what he stands for because he has been very fluid these days. He has gone into so many political marriages and that shows he does not know what goal to pursue in life because it cannot be true to say that all these parties are bad.
“Unfortunately he has his fellow fortune seekers who follow him wherever he goes and he begins to think he is highly respected leader,” said Hussein.
The three also condemned his dissolution of the party calling it undemocratic as he has no mandate to do so since he no longer belongs to the party, according to the RP’s constitution.
He left MCP last year and formed RP, led the Mgwirizano coalition to oust the UDF and formed a government of national unity with the UDF soon after he failed to win the election. He ditched the UDF and announced Tuesday this week that his RP was dissolved to join the newly formed DPP.
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