I have asked myself questions like how come John Tembo still has supporters despite the treatment Malawians received during one party regime. How about Bakili Muluzi?
We say Tembo did horrible things during MCP regime. But he still has support in Malawi from grassroots diehard fans of which, in a country of 12 Million, he takes a very good share of fans within the overall population that does shake the country in times of elections which makes MCP the main opposition party.
Could Malawians have forgotten about the realities of the harsh treatment under MCP regime? I do not think so. Do we think that Tembo can lead the country with such a history behind him? To be honest, that, I am not sure. But I would agree that he has something to offer. He still has one or two things left in his closet for the people of Malawi. But should we make the gamble to vote for him when we all know the history for the past 30 years of his administration? I don’t think Malawians are ready for that gamble. But yes, he has something to offer. I get frightened by his statements of revenge and retribution. It takes me back to that autocratic era.
In African politics, especially Malawi, which is of my interest, we have the tendency of viewing any arrests and prosecution as a political agenda when we can clearly see that there was a law broken. This will take a very long time to go and I think its still the same old generation of politicians who are dragging us back into thinking like that every time because of their clever choice of words to move crowds for their own interests in their speeches while carrying and hiding their guilt.
We tend to ignore the fact that the person indeed was in the wrong. The fact that we are for that person comes first than law and everything that, that politician eloquently utters at a rally, politicizing that arrest, moves us and settles within our midst and minds. The question I end up asking myself is does it mean I can get away with it like that too? I mean politicians exploit the legislation for their own personal interests. To me, a politician that always deems an arrest or a prosecution as political of an agenda every time when there is a clarity in the offense committed, is like telling a lay citizen like me to do the same. People will protest the arrests on the streets and the like to protect the politician of their choice but we forget that it wont be the same with us when we commit an offense maybe, perhaps, even an offense of the same kind. The same politician we chanted for will put us in jail clearly as stipulated by law. Most African politicians are very eloquent for their own good and not for the people of the country. Malawi is no different.
Bakili Muluzi is a legislation exploiter for his own personal gains. Yes his eloquence draws crowds from people who listen to what he says than what he does and some people cannot tell the difference because they are absorbed into his art of utterance, coniving and manipulation. His persistence to stand again and exploiting the constitution by even hiring a foreign team of lawyers raises questions and eye brows as to what’s his agenda really because,really, these are not the 'political' freedom fighting days. Those days are over and it might or would have made sense then, but not now. Today it is either no or yes and one has to listen and sit back and without persistence because we have the freedom and opportunities to do more in our lives and communities than ever before away and outside politics. Besides Muluzi was president for ten years. We can actually see that the agenda is personal than ever before. His ego is escalating every time he reaches a barrier and he keeps on trying to squeeze through until he gets what he wants. He even uses words like no one can stop him from standing again which is a pity really because he doesn’t respect anyone in the country at all, not even us citizens; the same citizens he is dying to serve. He is a controlling freak and wants to be the god father of Malawi perhaps. This sort of character he is exhibiting now clearly answers all questions as to why Dr Bingu Wa Mutharika didn’t want to be under him. We can actually see now since the Pandora’s Box is open wide. I mean the law is stopping him. If there is ambiguity in the law, then he must be aware that the decision can fall either side and he has to accept it because that’s what ambiguity means in its real terms. Otherwise it will be a never ending conflict and it won’t be good for him and Malawi as a whole because he doesn’t understand the meaning of ambiguity if that’s what he sees in the constitution. And how did these ideas come about anyway and when did they come about for him to start perusing through the legislation looking for loop holes? There is a chance that he was aware of this ever since he became president and was just looking at the opportune time to exploit it. Isn’t this scary people? Especially when we know he tried the open third term bill that ended up being rejected by Malawians; in a referendum and most importantly, during his own regime? Do we call someone like this a states man or someone worthy being a father to a nation? Instead of fixing this he is exploiting it? It’s like hacking in computing. And for Christ’s sake the decision has not favored him at all and he still cannot take it? He wants the ambiguity to favor him and that is about it. The freedom fighting era is gone and this type of politics is of the sixties to early nineties.
In conclusion let me say its time to judge by performance, the supporting team someone has and their track record and abilities and not moved by empty words only because words are merely nothing but a tool to manipulate individuals by politicians especially of this nature. They want us to listen to them because they know we love to listen because that’s how they made us during the autocratic system. They even made us listen to the radio without a choice. This is what some people do not know. We got trained to listen and mind you it’s the same people who are here now who turned us that way back then. I hope this article will trigger something in people’s minds as I do not think I have said anything that is very new here. Wait for my next article about some published articles during the MCP and UDF regime carrying quotes in speeches by Muluzi and others.
I am not affiliated to any political party and some of you may claim so because I haven’t said anything about DPP here or Aford. The reason is simple; there is more authentic and substantial information for the past 10 years and 30 years of rule as opposed to 5 years because those days are now viewed as history. And the subject of our story today is about history as we know that Muluzi and Tembo for example are in our history books but they still want to be in the present story in person; other than "being present but in history".
Muluzi should go and rest.
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