I have alluded to a few material facts in the course of the past few days about the opposition parties in Malawi on Nyasanet and Malawi Talk - of particular interest are the UDF and MCP. Malawi Congress Party is known for its ruthless (mis)rule for a good 30+ years from 1964 to somewhere in 1992 (allow me to use 1992 – please). They are also known for having resisted to the bone the fast approaching multi-party system of Government - but the Malawian people were not to retreat and in 1993, a resounding yes vote to multipartyism through a referendum saw the end of the road to the once-mighty party and the 2004 general elections only fixed the last nail on MCP's coffin. It is quite by luck and chance that MCP still exists today - may be we could have done better, right in 1994, to outlaw this party based on the history that it had bagged for itself for all the years it was in power.
UDF is known for its (mis)rule from 1994 to 2004. For lack of a better word, UDF (mis)ruled Malawi by hook or crook salvaging every opportunity they had to loot and plunder the already meagre Malawi's economy. UDF echelons power, UDF's elite, UDF's leadership, arguably, within 10 years of their days in the ruling elite of Malawi gathered for themselves a lot of wealth and riches whose source is far more questionable than understandable. This party is also known for its kid-glove approach to issues of economic recovery, governing by systems, wishy-washy policies on every aspect of our lives and above all, it is also remembered for its leadership's willingness to cling to power after the two five year terms came to their close. The first coinage was for the presidential terms to be limitless - open terms - they called it - this crashed and there was a sister-coinage - third term they called it - this too crashed, falling headlong in the backdrop of violence that the UDF unleashed against its own people for purely selfish gains. The UDF is known for something else - the lack of diverse talent from which they can select their leadership glaringly showing its head in recent times when an attempt has been made, not clearly out of the way yet, to let Muluzi have another go at the Presidency. If you stop and pause, you will discover the UDF's willingness to always want, or at least, at every opportune time they have, to bring our Constitution to unnecessary jitters, in power or out of it.
The two parties, UDF and MCP, have now combined forces to try and undermine the current government for reasons best known to themselves. They argue, in the recent political impasse, that DPP has "poached" their MPs. What this argument fails to acknowledge is the free will of those Mps exercised in their shift of focus and their willingness to participate in the developmental processes that are genuinely taking place in and within our country, much to the dislike of their partys' leadership, Joh Zenus Ungapake Tembo and Bakili Muluzi, to be precise…it would bne interesting to dig deep into what Muluzi kept saying about John Zenus Ungapake Tembo during his 10 years as President. Some good analysts may want to have a good go at their newly-found unity of purpose or is it unity of convenience?
Bingu's forward looking leadership, despite all the daily politics that seem to always be intent at bogging him down, poses a stiff challenge to the history of both the UDF and MCP and it seems to unleash the old self, inherent in these two parties to not, almost always, stand up for ideals that define progressive movement of the Malawian people. They are used to underhand tactics. Take, for example, Bakili Muluz’s unwritten policy on developmental projects – if there is no UDF MP in some constituency, forget about development. Bingu has beaten this record by far – Go to the very constituency of John Zenus Ungapake Tembo, you will discover that Bingu and Muluzi are different when it comes to a national agenda on development.
While one would want to appreciate the freedoms that come with a democratic dispensation, neither the MCP nor the UDF can stand on a moral higher ground than the current government to have stood for, let alone standing for, greater freedoms for the Malawian people. The very things that MCP and UDF are doing today, would have earned Malawian citizens the wrath of these parties during their hay days - today that happens without much ado...JZU has the guts and audacity of saying "he stands for justice, they can kill me but they can not kill justice" - how times change, really. The UDF, in the present circumstances, has the space and freedom to exude all sorts of strange political stand-points without the fear that some form of Young Democrats will be on their backs, beating, injuring and maiming. Who do we, as a nation, owe this to? In the view of this writer, we owe it to a leadership that wants to put Malawi first, Malawi that is progressively moving towards a positive direction where Malawi defines its own destiny.
We do not have to go very far to notice that there has been a phenomenal change of events - look to the University of Malawi - the students see the need to support government, not because, as many quarters want to portray it, Government is funding the support, no, but because funding to the institution of higher learning has increased and stabilised in its supply making learning easier to undertake - a big contrast to the UDF's way of funding and approaching University education - that the same, I mean university education is a luxury, was the thinking of the United Democratic Front.
Our MPs, the third arm of Government, need to stand up and be counted. They need to start thinking "development and progression" of the Malawian people - I mean until when are we going to leave and let our people survive on less than a dollar a day? Is it not time, that if there are Malawians amidst us, who can direct this ship and dock it safely where we all want to go and be, those Malawians need to be supported by all of us - yes including by the opposition parties, - opposition does not mean oppose for the sake of it - it is about offering alternatives, alternatives that can, in stature and well- meaning ness, outweigh and outplay, the policies that the government that may be, at any particular time, implements.
It is time we shelved the daily politics and start competing with each other on good policies - let us leave the daily politics for campaigning periods and not when it is time to govern.
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Livingston
Scotland.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Most Parties (in Malawi) are regionalistic
Annie,
Your sentiments below, well respected but I want to give an alternative argument...you do not have to agree with it.
Part of the problem, in my view, is that we want to believe or we have made ourselves believe that our parties have to or do operate on regionalistic lines and as days went and go by, we have told ourselves that this is "normal"...it is not normal, at least in my view, we can all move out from this comfort zone and embrace the challenges of a national identity for our political parties.
As I argued yesterday, I see very few of our politicians, the current crop, withstanding the heat of a Malawi that woke up strong from the nightmare of "regionalism" - most of them would not know what to do with a united Malawi, a Malawi that told itself and its people that "Malawi is our country" and we want sensible leadership for ourselves." Further to that, what makes you think, really, a Malawian originating from a region other than the Central region should not or can not be leader of MCP? What makes you think that a Malawian originating from a region other than the South can not pick up the top notch job in the UDF? And what makes you think a Malawian originating from a region other than the North can not be President of AFORD?
Annie, it is the root cause of this thinking and its perpetual nurturing that makes our current crop of politicians continue to take advantage, very unnecessary advantage, of the same to divide and rule us...we can help to reshape the thinking of our people and you never know, Nyasanet and Malawi Talk could be starting points for progressive thinking in combating regionalism, perceived or actual.
Malawians, in my view, would care very little about where their leader comes from provided that leader facilitates the arrival of food on their plates on a daily, constant basis, Malawians, in my view, would care very little of where their leader comes from if that leader facilitated improvement in the quality of Malawians' lives; in my view Malawians will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader facilitated good infrastructural development, Malawians, in my view, will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader made Malawian matter in his leadership dispensation, Malawians, yes, in my view, will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader made them live on more than a dollar a day, in real terms.
We, the people that think it is ok, normal, insurmountable for political party leadership to be based on regions contribute heavily, hugely and immensely to the backward movement of a nation that, at best, should be marching forward...we are in the 21st century for God's sake...let us move on, let us judge our possible leaders on the content of their leadership jars, on the content of their characters, on the content of their integrity other than a very simple and irrelevant consideration of where they happen to come from...
My heart bleeds...
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Livingston
Annie Kumwenda wrote:
Koma anthu mwatota_ni? Zipani zambiri mu Malawi are regionalistic whatever that means. Aford is for the north, MCP is for the centre Yudievu (UDF) is for the south. Tisanamizane apa kuti aford president angachokere pakati kapena ku mwera !! Mwauponda wauwisi ndithu wochita kudzola ngati mafuta phazi lonse ntchentche zili ng'waa ngati nakubabada Mbuya wa ku Nsanje!! Kapena kuti MCP ingalamuliridwe ndi a kumpoto kapena kumwera ayi !! Si a Tcheya awa amene akukakamira mpandowu. Anthu inu mwatota_ni? Leave aford alone
Annie
Your sentiments below, well respected but I want to give an alternative argument...you do not have to agree with it.
Part of the problem, in my view, is that we want to believe or we have made ourselves believe that our parties have to or do operate on regionalistic lines and as days went and go by, we have told ourselves that this is "normal"...it is not normal, at least in my view, we can all move out from this comfort zone and embrace the challenges of a national identity for our political parties.
As I argued yesterday, I see very few of our politicians, the current crop, withstanding the heat of a Malawi that woke up strong from the nightmare of "regionalism" - most of them would not know what to do with a united Malawi, a Malawi that told itself and its people that "Malawi is our country" and we want sensible leadership for ourselves." Further to that, what makes you think, really, a Malawian originating from a region other than the Central region should not or can not be leader of MCP? What makes you think that a Malawian originating from a region other than the South can not pick up the top notch job in the UDF? And what makes you think a Malawian originating from a region other than the North can not be President of AFORD?
Annie, it is the root cause of this thinking and its perpetual nurturing that makes our current crop of politicians continue to take advantage, very unnecessary advantage, of the same to divide and rule us...we can help to reshape the thinking of our people and you never know, Nyasanet and Malawi Talk could be starting points for progressive thinking in combating regionalism, perceived or actual.
Malawians, in my view, would care very little about where their leader comes from provided that leader facilitates the arrival of food on their plates on a daily, constant basis, Malawians, in my view, would care very little of where their leader comes from if that leader facilitated improvement in the quality of Malawians' lives; in my view Malawians will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader facilitated good infrastructural development, Malawians, in my view, will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader made Malawian matter in his leadership dispensation, Malawians, yes, in my view, will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader made them live on more than a dollar a day, in real terms.
We, the people that think it is ok, normal, insurmountable for political party leadership to be based on regions contribute heavily, hugely and immensely to the backward movement of a nation that, at best, should be marching forward...we are in the 21st century for God's sake...let us move on, let us judge our possible leaders on the content of their leadership jars, on the content of their characters, on the content of their integrity other than a very simple and irrelevant consideration of where they happen to come from...
My heart bleeds...
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Livingston
Annie Kumwenda
Koma anthu mwatota_ni? Zipani zambiri mu Malawi are regionalistic whatever that means. Aford is for the north, MCP is for the centre Yudievu (UDF) is for the south. Tisanamizane apa kuti aford president angachokere pakati kapena ku mwera !! Mwauponda wauwisi ndithu wochita kudzola ngati mafuta phazi lonse ntchentche zili ng'waa ngati nakubabada Mbuya wa ku Nsanje!! Kapena kuti MCP ingalamuliridwe ndi a kumpoto kapena kumwera ayi !! Si a Tcheya awa amene akukakamira mpandowu. Anthu inu mwatota_ni? Leave aford alone
Annie
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
ATCHEYA & THE PRESIDENTAL COMEBACK PROJECT
Ambuje, in all our arguments on this issue, you may want to internalise this advice, the advice that one of the leading Lawyers in our land gave us, at Kamuzu College of Nursing, through me and my Executive Committee at the time; he said and I quote: - "The Law is double edged." To put it into context, in our studently (allow me to coin a word as well, see how you are influencing my writing, Ambuje) wisdom we decided we had had enough of one of our lecturers. The wrangle ballooned out of KCN and went to the University Office and the University office wrote back in very very simple terms, basically saying "the responsibility of hiring and firing lecturers rests with it (the University Office)...but that is all they did, they never addressed the main issue that led to an ugly situation like the one we had at hand...it bounced back to College level and it was becoming al legal issue at the close of each day and we made an executive decision, as the Kamuzu College Of Nursing Students' Union (KCNSU) under my dynamic leadership (hahahahaha) to start legal consultations - we had no idea how we were going to foot our bills, our account as KCNSU was in the red, every time, even after the college slashes MK30.00 from every student - apparently our predecessors had left lots of loans which books we had no access to - politics Ambuje, even at College level in the University of Malawi...the good thing though, with just one call from this "crafty Lawyer" to KCN first and then to the people at the University Office, the case went crashing...we were immediately called, as KCNSU executive members to be told that our concerns will be addressed...and Ambuje, they were - no court proceedings and the Lawyer, known to me personally, charged us nothing - That is what, Ambuje, positively crafty lawyers can do. I see that in the likes of Trevor Chimimba.
What is the essence of that background to Atcheya's story...let me
make it clear that I am one of those who think and deeply so that a
comeback of Atcheya onto the Presidency in Malawi is not, not even in the least sense, a good thing for the country...I can not think of anything positive that is motivating the "UDF's grassroots" into drafting Atcheya again, an idea Atcheya seems to be buying into... The idea, Ambuje, is to push home the fact that the Law is double edged.
Trevor and Hesse, Napoliyoni Dyanamite, Mukavango Buju, (and probably me) on one hand, you, Muthupo, Nyamainyameni, Melody Luhanga, MLK, on the other (may be Muthupo and me belong onto the centre, I am not sure) - all of us pushing onto this "constitutional rope) and when it snaps, the stronger and probably with the help of crafty Lawyers in our courts, will carry the day. When I come to that point, I always ask myself: "Who will have sufficient interest in this matter to commit it to our
Courts so it comes under litigation?" Who knows, I do not know and I do not want to know the answer to that question.
I doubt, very much, Ambuje, if this issue is about hatred or love for particular individual politicians - just that Atcheya comes too close to qualifying as having aroused questions about this area because of what I describe as "wild ambitions, political in nature."
As we debate the perceived constitutional shortfalls on this matter, my belief is that it goes beyond the constitution - an outrageous statement to make but probably necessary to advance my thinking on why the "Presidential comeback Project" soon to be undertaken by Atcheya if the UDF "grassroots" manage to convince him to comeback is futile, tragic and unreasonable for three main reasons and parties - Atcheya himself, the UDF and the Malawian people and it is the Malawian people I am greatly concerned about.
Atcheya - He may be heading for the biggest "showdown" of his
political career, it will be good, if he comes out victorious but, uuhuuuh, I do not want to think of this, if he comes out humbled, bruised and defeated, your guess as to what will have happened and will eventually happen is as good as mine. Politics can be dodgy and tricky and things do not always move in straight lines...Atcheya and his henchmen can take or leave this free piece of advice.
The UDF - The UDF has gone through a largely successful political
path until the following three projects were embarked on "the open terms bid, the third ("sad") Term bid and finally the Bingu Project. All these "projects" saw the UDF behaving like a headless chicken or a "cochroach placed in a hot pan" and in the process many of its prominent and dedicated members found it necessary to part ways with the party. As if this was not enough, these projects saw the ugly head of using the young people for selfish political objectives - we saw young democrats causing mayhem amidst the largely peaceful MALAWIAN people. And we can not, for a second, separate Atcheya from these projects...he was probably the "cause as well as the means" and what we see today (the ends) is as a result of that. Atcheya, embarking on a Presidential comeback project, may not end in a manner that may be good for the UDF - but hey, who can tell - it is Malawian politics at play here and surprises are not necessarily an exception.
The Malawian people - This is my main concern. The losers, when all
the battles will have been fought, will be the Malawian people. They may win very little, if any at all. Atcheya, if voted back in, will bring very little that we will be able to write about - we know what he did to the nation in his 1994 - 2004 period of (mis)rule. If he is not voted back in, after such an effortful bid to come back, his political opponents might hit back hard, in the process probably "burying his and UDF's" political path, robbing Malawians that cherish a successful UDF, without Atcheya, a party that they would love to succeed.
Further to this the distractions that Atcheya and UDF are causing to all of us and particularly the Government are not good for our
economic, social and political growth...Atcheya, as we speak, is attracting unnecessary attention and any politician, serious about curving a political agenda that is progressive, will not ignore the fact that a former president is on a bid to have another go at the presidency and particularly for a sitting president, who largely has to think of the business of running a government and it is the Malawian people who lose out...the President and his cronies are still drawing their salaries, allowances and benefits at the tax payers' expense, the Former President, in this case Dr Muluzi is drawing his pension without qualms, all MPs are and will continue to draw their salaries, allowances and other benefits, Lawyers and judges who may be involved in settling the raging legal battles that may emanate from this issue will cash in, huge sums of money - but in one way or another all these people will be, or indeed are concerned with the fact that a former president is attempting to come back and "rule" again - the losses to the Malawian people, in as far as a progressive developmental agenda is concerned, are immeasurable.
Atcheya needs to do the needful, tell the "UDF grassroots" who want
to draft him back in onto the presidential bid, that he appreciates
their trust and confidence but that he had his share of the cake already - and one can not eat his cake and have it too."
Isaac Cheke Ziba,
Livingston - Scotland.
What is the essence of that background to Atcheya's story...let me
make it clear that I am one of those who think and deeply so that a
comeback of Atcheya onto the Presidency in Malawi is not, not even in the least sense, a good thing for the country...I can not think of anything positive that is motivating the "UDF's grassroots" into drafting Atcheya again, an idea Atcheya seems to be buying into... The idea, Ambuje, is to push home the fact that the Law is double edged.
Trevor and Hesse, Napoliyoni Dyanamite, Mukavango Buju, (and probably me) on one hand, you, Muthupo, Nyamainyameni, Melody Luhanga, MLK, on the other (may be Muthupo and me belong onto the centre, I am not sure) - all of us pushing onto this "constitutional rope) and when it snaps, the stronger and probably with the help of crafty Lawyers in our courts, will carry the day. When I come to that point, I always ask myself: "Who will have sufficient interest in this matter to commit it to our
Courts so it comes under litigation?" Who knows, I do not know and I do not want to know the answer to that question.
I doubt, very much, Ambuje, if this issue is about hatred or love for particular individual politicians - just that Atcheya comes too close to qualifying as having aroused questions about this area because of what I describe as "wild ambitions, political in nature."
As we debate the perceived constitutional shortfalls on this matter, my belief is that it goes beyond the constitution - an outrageous statement to make but probably necessary to advance my thinking on why the "Presidential comeback Project" soon to be undertaken by Atcheya if the UDF "grassroots" manage to convince him to comeback is futile, tragic and unreasonable for three main reasons and parties - Atcheya himself, the UDF and the Malawian people and it is the Malawian people I am greatly concerned about.
Atcheya - He may be heading for the biggest "showdown" of his
political career, it will be good, if he comes out victorious but, uuhuuuh, I do not want to think of this, if he comes out humbled, bruised and defeated, your guess as to what will have happened and will eventually happen is as good as mine. Politics can be dodgy and tricky and things do not always move in straight lines...Atcheya and his henchmen can take or leave this free piece of advice.
The UDF - The UDF has gone through a largely successful political
path until the following three projects were embarked on "the open terms bid, the third ("sad") Term bid and finally the Bingu Project. All these "projects" saw the UDF behaving like a headless chicken or a "cochroach placed in a hot pan" and in the process many of its prominent and dedicated members found it necessary to part ways with the party. As if this was not enough, these projects saw the ugly head of using the young people for selfish political objectives - we saw young democrats causing mayhem amidst the largely peaceful MALAWIAN people. And we can not, for a second, separate Atcheya from these projects...he was probably the "cause as well as the means" and what we see today (the ends) is as a result of that. Atcheya, embarking on a Presidential comeback project, may not end in a manner that may be good for the UDF - but hey, who can tell - it is Malawian politics at play here and surprises are not necessarily an exception.
The Malawian people - This is my main concern. The losers, when all
the battles will have been fought, will be the Malawian people. They may win very little, if any at all. Atcheya, if voted back in, will bring very little that we will be able to write about - we know what he did to the nation in his 1994 - 2004 period of (mis)rule. If he is not voted back in, after such an effortful bid to come back, his political opponents might hit back hard, in the process probably "burying his and UDF's" political path, robbing Malawians that cherish a successful UDF, without Atcheya, a party that they would love to succeed.
Further to this the distractions that Atcheya and UDF are causing to all of us and particularly the Government are not good for our
economic, social and political growth...Atcheya, as we speak, is attracting unnecessary attention and any politician, serious about curving a political agenda that is progressive, will not ignore the fact that a former president is on a bid to have another go at the presidency and particularly for a sitting president, who largely has to think of the business of running a government and it is the Malawian people who lose out...the President and his cronies are still drawing their salaries, allowances and benefits at the tax payers' expense, the Former President, in this case Dr Muluzi is drawing his pension without qualms, all MPs are and will continue to draw their salaries, allowances and other benefits, Lawyers and judges who may be involved in settling the raging legal battles that may emanate from this issue will cash in, huge sums of money - but in one way or another all these people will be, or indeed are concerned with the fact that a former president is attempting to come back and "rule" again - the losses to the Malawian people, in as far as a progressive developmental agenda is concerned, are immeasurable.
Atcheya needs to do the needful, tell the "UDF grassroots" who want
to draft him back in onto the presidential bid, that he appreciates
their trust and confidence but that he had his share of the cake already - and one can not eat his cake and have it too."
Isaac Cheke Ziba,
Livingston - Scotland.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
UDF/ATCHEYA-BINGU FALLOUT - Who saved the nation?
I have kept thinking about this for a long time and I have decided to put "pen to paper" on it.
Where I come from, Mjinge Mhlaba Village, I grew up being told that "mwamuna, particularly mwana wa mNgoni, salira." I am not very sure if "chamuna")should be the word definitive of what the UDF found themselves in - was it by design or by default? (of course, tinaamva akuliralira – but then that was all, they could have gone further if so they wanted and willed – ena adakalirabe tikuamva, again, that is all they are doing.
When the leadership crisis strangled the UDF, full throttle, in the run-up to the 2004 Elections, the effects nearly descended on the whole nation, the failure to properly identify and democratically elect a leader in the UDF, translated to the Open terms bill, it further underwent a metamorphosis and became "the thinly veiled open terms but named third term." Young Democrats ran amok, they went on rampage, killing, maiming, beating, physically assaulting any person who was unwilling, unable or refused to sing the "ayimanso tune." Church leaders/elders to, were not spared the beating if they uttered a word against the "ayimanso saga." The Government, UDF led, used the Police machinery like their own security company, but hey, despite all this, Malawians remained resolute, determined to put at bay anything that resembled turning the hands on the clock towards the 31 years of MCP's brutal rule - the open terms, later on turned the 3rd term bill got defeated, crashed by a robust Parliament - an emerging Democracy saw its worst days. Thanks to our Parliament then and particularly the few MPs within the UDF who saw no sense in putting Bakili Muluzi on a course that would have seen him around as Malawi's president for time on end, probably till he became demented, like HKB did. Some political jobs were or were about to be lost…Chihana’s power base shrunk at an increasing rate, JZU quickly reversed his support for the same after noticing that the Malawian voter was in an uncompromising mood on this issue, Churches were divided on the issue – Atcheya sat back, watched all the drama as if it had nothing to do with him – politics at its best…at least in our part of the world.
After the Nation said no to the infamous open terms and third term bills, the leadership crisis in the UDF went back to the confines of the Party and there, heads were going to roll, and roll they did, particularly those that were seen to be harbouring some leadership ambitions and not having put enough effort to push through the infamous open terms/third term bills - Harry Thomson went, Justin Chimera Malewezi went, Aleke Kadonaphani Banda went, Brown J. Mpinganjira went, Joseph Makhumula went and so many other prominent party members fell out of grace with the reigning powers in the party at the time.
One other thing contributed to all this UDF party "disintegration." - a new name seemed to be making rounds for a possible take over of the Party leadership - Bingu wa Muntharika...some party gurus made it clear they did not want the "new chap in the block" others supported the idea purely because Atcheya anena and yet others were standing on the fence, if BwM comes in, he should not see us as having been on this side or the other...at the end of the day, the "new chap" took over the UDF leadership mantle...very few people clapped hands, very few people gave the chap any chance of winning the election, some UDfers even went to the extent of saying the "product was unsellable therefore very difficult to market." Atcheya, though, was determined, campaigned for this product through and through, criss-crossing the country at will, what with state resources available at his simple whim and fancy, including "free" airwave coverage by both TVM and MBC...came the election, despite other parties not agreeing, BwM was elected President of Malawi on a UDF ticket, thrashing Vincent Gwandangulube Chakuamba, many circles thought he was the favourite, into the 3rd position, with JZU on second. Opinions are as diverse as one can think of on who really must have won the 2004 Presidential elections - some say JZU was the rightful winner, they have their own reasons, others say Gwanda should have carried the day, they have their own reasons and yet others believe BwM won in genuine terms.
The Nation could now progress...but wait a minute, AKB, running mate to Gwnada declared the "Mgwirizano Coalition" winner and saw the opening of a case in our courts on the same, JZU was grumbling too, but he was "swimming his waters very carefully, as he has always been when it comes to issues of elections, not necessarily refusing that elections were rigged but also not necessarily willing to contest the case if he was not the one considered the winner - eventually the case went crashing...
Meanwhile the UDF was preparing for another five years of Government...starting with a grand inauguration of the President – Bingu wa muntharika was the name and indeed, Chichiri stadium was going to be the venue, heavy police presence was witnessed. When all seemed "nice and sweet", BwM stood up to speak, and the fact that he was going to be his own man was very evident from his touching inaugural speech - he departed very sharply from what we used to hear from the UDF top brass for 10 years - many who thought BwM had nothing to offer changed their hearts when the speech came to the last full stop...war on corruption, Malawi is not poor, a robust civil service, a lean cabinet, fiscal discipline - all the things a Malawian would have loved to hear from his/her leader came out of Bingu's mouth...of course in his inaugural speech…as to whether he has walked his inaugural talk, Malawians are the best judge on the matter…as for me, at least I do not consider the cabinet “lean” a it stands as we speak.
An immediate relocation from Sanjika Palace to the New State House (some ask when will it become aged and no longer new?), jitters within and in the UDF could be felt from the outside world - a new order was taking shape in our country - good or bad who could tell at that time and as we speak, who can tell in real terms whether it was/is good or bad - opinions continue to vary and I think that will be the case till time on end.
The cabinet, Bingu's first, took close to three weeks to be put in place - conspiracy theorists believe and say, Atcheya had already come up with the Cabinet which he wanted BwM to endorse wholesale and BwM refused...conspirancy theorists continue to propagate the notion that Atcheya wanted to continue ruling through Bingu – Chichewa chake “kufuna kumayimba nawo belu, munthu ali pakaliyala.” If that was the dream within the UDF, Bingu was having none of it.
Much as we, as a nation could not place a finger on it at that time, the Malawian people could tell though, that something was not right in and within the UDF with Bingu in the equation. Being a product - Bingu wa Muntarika and the Sponsor - the UDF...parallel lines seemed to be emerging between the two - either of the two needed, very very quickly, to comply with the other and it seemed none was prepared for the "compliance" and the biggest political fall out saw its birth, the UDF sponsored BwM, announced his departure from the UDF and a few days later, Democratic Progressive Party, shortened to DPP - was born - what a hell of a situation, come to think of it...
My biggest concern in this article, though, is the events that followed...UDF was up in arms demanding BwM's blood - I totally understand and understood them, BwM was up in arms declaring UDF a corrupt party, UDF went further and acknowledged having rigged the elections in favour of Bingu - total mayhem for a Nation dying for good governance, real stability and economic progress...BwM was treading where "angels" (with a small "A") would have feared to do the same...he was, predictably, going to have a rough ride with his duty to govern a people of Malawi and he had and I think he still has...THAT ROUGH RIDE.
Now, that we seem to have put all that behind us (I assume), who has averted a major disaster from besetting our country - the UDFor BwM - I am sure views on this issue can be, will be and are varied depending on which part of the elephant you are holding on to. As for this citizen of Malawi, each party has had a role to play in bringing about the mess and they have had a role to play in making sure it does not escalate to something sinister - issues of capacity could be at stake as well, one can never know for certain.
Much as the UDF seemed, at some point, to have drunk from the cup of hatred and bitterness with all these political machinations, they fell short, probably in a positive way, of employing the tactics they used to fight for the maturation of the open and third term bills - particularly the YDs aspect, to throw the nation into turmoil; and Bingu, despite all the "resources" he may have access to, DID NOT USE, has not used EITHER, brutal force against the people who have constantly campaigned for his downfall particularly the UDF. He has instead, for valid or just political reasons, tried to use the legal set up to try and bring down most of his enemies…of course some of them still survive as we speak
We are a nation in need of leadership, we are a nation in dire straits, we are a nation in economic doldrums, we can not afford a political game that yields no results, we can not afford to keep on going and not improve the quality of life of our people - each one of us, particularly our political leaders - in government or in opposition have a role in forging a pure developmental agenda for the whole nation, if development fails, all of us fail, development fails, Malawians will continue to live on less than a dollar a day, development fails, we fail our people and terribly so...
We can not keep on like this - there has to be a time for politicking but there has to be time for political leadership delivery, good delivery, i am talking about which entails development for Malawi which has to translate to development, in real terms, for our people.
2007, has to be a year, all of us should tell ourselves and our neighbour, for a Malawi that is on course to brighter future and a better today.
In conclusion, let me say this – thoughts purely shaped from the thoughts of martin Luther King jr: -
It is no longer time for political leadership to be issuing bad cheques in as far as our development is concerned as a people. Time is up for development cheques given to our people by the political leadership to come back marked “insufficient funds, it is no longer time for the Malawian people to always get raw deals from “scrupulous” people feigning possession of good political leadership, when in fact, it is themselves the really care about.” Malawians will soon, be coming to their nationa’s capital to cash their cheque and it wil not be good enough to find insufficient funds in their development purse, they will not accept that as a fact because they know the potential that Malawi possesses on their behalf – it is about leadership.
The storm is coming; it may not be long from now…be on the lookout.
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Livingston - Scotland.
Where I come from, Mjinge Mhlaba Village, I grew up being told that "mwamuna, particularly mwana wa mNgoni, salira." I am not very sure if "chamuna")should be the word definitive of what the UDF found themselves in - was it by design or by default? (of course, tinaamva akuliralira – but then that was all, they could have gone further if so they wanted and willed – ena adakalirabe tikuamva, again, that is all they are doing.
When the leadership crisis strangled the UDF, full throttle, in the run-up to the 2004 Elections, the effects nearly descended on the whole nation, the failure to properly identify and democratically elect a leader in the UDF, translated to the Open terms bill, it further underwent a metamorphosis and became "the thinly veiled open terms but named third term." Young Democrats ran amok, they went on rampage, killing, maiming, beating, physically assaulting any person who was unwilling, unable or refused to sing the "ayimanso tune." Church leaders/elders to, were not spared the beating if they uttered a word against the "ayimanso saga." The Government, UDF led, used the Police machinery like their own security company, but hey, despite all this, Malawians remained resolute, determined to put at bay anything that resembled turning the hands on the clock towards the 31 years of MCP's brutal rule - the open terms, later on turned the 3rd term bill got defeated, crashed by a robust Parliament - an emerging Democracy saw its worst days. Thanks to our Parliament then and particularly the few MPs within the UDF who saw no sense in putting Bakili Muluzi on a course that would have seen him around as Malawi's president for time on end, probably till he became demented, like HKB did. Some political jobs were or were about to be lost…Chihana’s power base shrunk at an increasing rate, JZU quickly reversed his support for the same after noticing that the Malawian voter was in an uncompromising mood on this issue, Churches were divided on the issue – Atcheya sat back, watched all the drama as if it had nothing to do with him – politics at its best…at least in our part of the world.
After the Nation said no to the infamous open terms and third term bills, the leadership crisis in the UDF went back to the confines of the Party and there, heads were going to roll, and roll they did, particularly those that were seen to be harbouring some leadership ambitions and not having put enough effort to push through the infamous open terms/third term bills - Harry Thomson went, Justin Chimera Malewezi went, Aleke Kadonaphani Banda went, Brown J. Mpinganjira went, Joseph Makhumula went and so many other prominent party members fell out of grace with the reigning powers in the party at the time.
One other thing contributed to all this UDF party "disintegration." - a new name seemed to be making rounds for a possible take over of the Party leadership - Bingu wa Muntharika...some party gurus made it clear they did not want the "new chap in the block" others supported the idea purely because Atcheya anena and yet others were standing on the fence, if BwM comes in, he should not see us as having been on this side or the other...at the end of the day, the "new chap" took over the UDF leadership mantle...very few people clapped hands, very few people gave the chap any chance of winning the election, some UDfers even went to the extent of saying the "product was unsellable therefore very difficult to market." Atcheya, though, was determined, campaigned for this product through and through, criss-crossing the country at will, what with state resources available at his simple whim and fancy, including "free" airwave coverage by both TVM and MBC...came the election, despite other parties not agreeing, BwM was elected President of Malawi on a UDF ticket, thrashing Vincent Gwandangulube Chakuamba, many circles thought he was the favourite, into the 3rd position, with JZU on second. Opinions are as diverse as one can think of on who really must have won the 2004 Presidential elections - some say JZU was the rightful winner, they have their own reasons, others say Gwanda should have carried the day, they have their own reasons and yet others believe BwM won in genuine terms.
The Nation could now progress...but wait a minute, AKB, running mate to Gwnada declared the "Mgwirizano Coalition" winner and saw the opening of a case in our courts on the same, JZU was grumbling too, but he was "swimming his waters very carefully, as he has always been when it comes to issues of elections, not necessarily refusing that elections were rigged but also not necessarily willing to contest the case if he was not the one considered the winner - eventually the case went crashing...
Meanwhile the UDF was preparing for another five years of Government...starting with a grand inauguration of the President – Bingu wa muntharika was the name and indeed, Chichiri stadium was going to be the venue, heavy police presence was witnessed. When all seemed "nice and sweet", BwM stood up to speak, and the fact that he was going to be his own man was very evident from his touching inaugural speech - he departed very sharply from what we used to hear from the UDF top brass for 10 years - many who thought BwM had nothing to offer changed their hearts when the speech came to the last full stop...war on corruption, Malawi is not poor, a robust civil service, a lean cabinet, fiscal discipline - all the things a Malawian would have loved to hear from his/her leader came out of Bingu's mouth...of course in his inaugural speech…as to whether he has walked his inaugural talk, Malawians are the best judge on the matter…as for me, at least I do not consider the cabinet “lean” a it stands as we speak.
An immediate relocation from Sanjika Palace to the New State House (some ask when will it become aged and no longer new?), jitters within and in the UDF could be felt from the outside world - a new order was taking shape in our country - good or bad who could tell at that time and as we speak, who can tell in real terms whether it was/is good or bad - opinions continue to vary and I think that will be the case till time on end.
The cabinet, Bingu's first, took close to three weeks to be put in place - conspiracy theorists believe and say, Atcheya had already come up with the Cabinet which he wanted BwM to endorse wholesale and BwM refused...conspirancy theorists continue to propagate the notion that Atcheya wanted to continue ruling through Bingu – Chichewa chake “kufuna kumayimba nawo belu, munthu ali pakaliyala.” If that was the dream within the UDF, Bingu was having none of it.
Much as we, as a nation could not place a finger on it at that time, the Malawian people could tell though, that something was not right in and within the UDF with Bingu in the equation. Being a product - Bingu wa Muntarika and the Sponsor - the UDF...parallel lines seemed to be emerging between the two - either of the two needed, very very quickly, to comply with the other and it seemed none was prepared for the "compliance" and the biggest political fall out saw its birth, the UDF sponsored BwM, announced his departure from the UDF and a few days later, Democratic Progressive Party, shortened to DPP - was born - what a hell of a situation, come to think of it...
My biggest concern in this article, though, is the events that followed...UDF was up in arms demanding BwM's blood - I totally understand and understood them, BwM was up in arms declaring UDF a corrupt party, UDF went further and acknowledged having rigged the elections in favour of Bingu - total mayhem for a Nation dying for good governance, real stability and economic progress...BwM was treading where "angels" (with a small "A") would have feared to do the same...he was, predictably, going to have a rough ride with his duty to govern a people of Malawi and he had and I think he still has...THAT ROUGH RIDE.
Now, that we seem to have put all that behind us (I assume), who has averted a major disaster from besetting our country - the UDFor BwM - I am sure views on this issue can be, will be and are varied depending on which part of the elephant you are holding on to. As for this citizen of Malawi, each party has had a role to play in bringing about the mess and they have had a role to play in making sure it does not escalate to something sinister - issues of capacity could be at stake as well, one can never know for certain.
Much as the UDF seemed, at some point, to have drunk from the cup of hatred and bitterness with all these political machinations, they fell short, probably in a positive way, of employing the tactics they used to fight for the maturation of the open and third term bills - particularly the YDs aspect, to throw the nation into turmoil; and Bingu, despite all the "resources" he may have access to, DID NOT USE, has not used EITHER, brutal force against the people who have constantly campaigned for his downfall particularly the UDF. He has instead, for valid or just political reasons, tried to use the legal set up to try and bring down most of his enemies…of course some of them still survive as we speak
We are a nation in need of leadership, we are a nation in dire straits, we are a nation in economic doldrums, we can not afford a political game that yields no results, we can not afford to keep on going and not improve the quality of life of our people - each one of us, particularly our political leaders - in government or in opposition have a role in forging a pure developmental agenda for the whole nation, if development fails, all of us fail, development fails, Malawians will continue to live on less than a dollar a day, development fails, we fail our people and terribly so...
We can not keep on like this - there has to be a time for politicking but there has to be time for political leadership delivery, good delivery, i am talking about which entails development for Malawi which has to translate to development, in real terms, for our people.
2007, has to be a year, all of us should tell ourselves and our neighbour, for a Malawi that is on course to brighter future and a better today.
In conclusion, let me say this – thoughts purely shaped from the thoughts of martin Luther King jr: -
It is no longer time for political leadership to be issuing bad cheques in as far as our development is concerned as a people. Time is up for development cheques given to our people by the political leadership to come back marked “insufficient funds, it is no longer time for the Malawian people to always get raw deals from “scrupulous” people feigning possession of good political leadership, when in fact, it is themselves the really care about.” Malawians will soon, be coming to their nationa’s capital to cash their cheque and it wil not be good enough to find insufficient funds in their development purse, they will not accept that as a fact because they know the potential that Malawi possesses on their behalf – it is about leadership.
The storm is coming; it may not be long from now…be on the lookout.
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Livingston - Scotland.
Monday, January 15, 2007
REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr
Dr. Steve Sharra, you have beaten e to it and in a very admirable manner…keep it going. The World has big lessons to learn from the great American who lived to the fullest the ideals of a useful, moral life and what he believed in needs to be held true to this day.
My tow tambala worth thoughts on this man are below: -
If America wants to be a first class Nation, it can not afford to have second class citizens…Martin Luther King Jr.
For today, the world needs to tell itself that it can not afford to have second class human beings if the world is to be at peace, if the world is to be good enough for qualitative inhabitation of all people – the world can not manage to default on this, if it does, we may as well forget about a world where even the affluent societies live a meaningful, peaceful life because the poverty, the suffering, the suspicion with which the less privileged citizens of the world get treated to will continue to haunt each one of us in equal measure, and it does not matter what measure that takes.
The World, especially the staggeringly affluent societies, can not just look on and ignore the suffering, poverty, hunger disease etc that continue to cripple the “Kuphukira kwa Africa” as Dr Steve Sharra wants Africa to do. There are not many, as should be the case, success stories in Asia and the Middle East either.
Listen to the inspiring speeches by Martin Luther King Jr by following the link below:
http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com
Some Yahoo readers who have listened to the “I have a dream speech” have had the following comments: -
User Reviews
Read all reviews
• Grat speech
01/15/2007by jmcrespi
Great speech indeed. The main points of Mr.King, if applied by current societies would solve many of the problems that humanity is facing. However, notice that Mr.King talks about equalities...Yes, equalities, not supremacy of ones above the others...so all those that use Mr.King s words to stress on their crusades but then wear T-shirts with slogans such as Coffe? Black please, it tastes better ...double think about it.
• Thank you!
01/15/2007by laura_ulmeanu2000
You have the most wonderful idea. Bravo. It s so great to leasen the speech not only to read it. Thank you again.
• Dream...
01/15/2007by pleasantoakb
thanks Yahoo!!! great concept...
• The Greatest Speech Ever
01/15/2007by touretech
Thank you YAHOO, for sharing this with the World. In my opinion, this is one of if not the GREATEST Speech for Humanity and Peace, and should be appreciated and remembered by all humans. If we live with this goal in focus, many of our ills and wars in society will end.
My tow tambala worth thoughts on this man are below: -
If America wants to be a first class Nation, it can not afford to have second class citizens…Martin Luther King Jr.
For today, the world needs to tell itself that it can not afford to have second class human beings if the world is to be at peace, if the world is to be good enough for qualitative inhabitation of all people – the world can not manage to default on this, if it does, we may as well forget about a world where even the affluent societies live a meaningful, peaceful life because the poverty, the suffering, the suspicion with which the less privileged citizens of the world get treated to will continue to haunt each one of us in equal measure, and it does not matter what measure that takes.
The World, especially the staggeringly affluent societies, can not just look on and ignore the suffering, poverty, hunger disease etc that continue to cripple the “Kuphukira kwa Africa” as Dr Steve Sharra wants Africa to do. There are not many, as should be the case, success stories in Asia and the Middle East either.
Listen to the inspiring speeches by Martin Luther King Jr by following the link below:
http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com
Some Yahoo readers who have listened to the “I have a dream speech” have had the following comments: -
User Reviews
Read all reviews
• Grat speech
01/15/2007by jmcrespi
Great speech indeed. The main points of Mr.King, if applied by current societies would solve many of the problems that humanity is facing. However, notice that Mr.King talks about equalities...Yes, equalities, not supremacy of ones above the others...so all those that use Mr.King s words to stress on their crusades but then wear T-shirts with slogans such as Coffe? Black please, it tastes better ...double think about it.
• Thank you!
01/15/2007by laura_ulmeanu2000
You have the most wonderful idea. Bravo. It s so great to leasen the speech not only to read it. Thank you again.
• Dream...
01/15/2007by pleasantoakb
thanks Yahoo!!! great concept...
• The Greatest Speech Ever
01/15/2007by touretech
Thank you YAHOO, for sharing this with the World. In my opinion, this is one of if not the GREATEST Speech for Humanity and Peace, and should be appreciated and remembered by all humans. If we live with this goal in focus, many of our ills and wars in society will end.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Responding to Dr Steve Sharra on Nyasanet: My thoughts on Malawi's 2009 elections
Steve and all,
I can only guess the figures in the posting above should have an "m" in front of them so it represents "million".
If this were to happen as soon as, my prediction would be that MCP would carry the day, I will tell you why I think so, musathamange mwazi kaye: -
Of all the parties represented in Parliament today, MCP has had the most stable MPs; there have been very very few movements except for a few cases like the Kainjas...the electors of MCP MPs will have to reinforce this good behaviour of their MPs - sticking to what MCP stands for.
That said, MCP's leader has been around for a long time and all he knows is MCP, the only time I can remember he kind of showed a rare breed of instability was when he openly supported the open terms/3rd term bills "drama" when Muluzi's term of office was coming to its close...but he quickly retreated because he "listened to the voice of reason within his own party and he sensed what a political blunder that was going to be." (To digress a bit, sometimes I think he supported the UDF machinations at that time because he thought and believed that MCP was in a position of wrestling power back from UDF and so he was going to be the one enjoying the fruits of open terms for Malawi's presidents or indeed three terms running, after all that is what he was used to when the Lion was in control of the reigns of power in Malawi).
Thirdly, MCP's strong base is in the Central Region and it is the least affected by unstable MPs, JZU knows how to play regional politics so much that he has failed completely to make sound in-roads in the South as well as the North and he seems to care very little about this and this consolidates his power for the following reasons: -
The South will have 2 or 3 giants in the front line...a probable giant from UDF, a probable giant from DPP (BwM has declared that he is going to stand again) and another giant from these "brief-case parties"...you can not rule out people like Vincent Gwandangulube Chakuamba (kodi ndi Vincent munthu uja eti?), you can not predict the political behaviour of people like BJ if the UDF do not pick him up as their front runner and you never know what Jimmy-Koreia Mpatsa might want to come up with in liaison with Justin Chimera Malewezi...so basically, there will be running battles in the South between UDF and DPP...there will be a fight and a bloody one there and as DPP and UDF fight over the South, JZU will be calling the shots in the Central region.
The North will be a tricky one...until about 4 - 5 months ago, DPP might have been taking a strong grip on the region but I do not think it is the case any longer...the people of Karonga and Chitipa might find themselves confused on who cares about their roads and certainly they may find DPP equally deceptive on the "Roads-project" in that part of the country. The signs of AFORD's revival do not spell good news either for most of the parties...Rumphi will also be a very very tricky one, the DPP President not having attended the burial ceremony of one Chakufwa "Simbiyamoto" Chihana, the people there might not find "comfort" in the same, CC was one of Rumphi's respected children and he still commanded a lot of respect there (I dare say). AKB, should he choose to run again, might, arguably, control Nkhata-bay and Ralph Kasambara having been treated the way he has been by the Government, might want to help out in keeping DPP at bay (I am just speculating here, I do not know) and his impact should not be overlooked...Mzimba might be the liberal one where voters might want some persuasion and convincing as to who to vote for.
My analysis for the North in general, makes it a very difficult region to predict in its voting pattern but I can definitely rule out any significant impact coming from MCP, UDF might control Likoma and a small part of Nkhata-bay because of the Neuro-Surgeon turned politician, Nga Ntafu. The North, in general, might be able to vote for different people of different parties just like they did in 2004 because as we speak, there is no big big politician making significant impact in as far influencing the electorate is concerned.
Goodall Gondwe should have been the man for DPP, but the Government has not helped him in, once again, the Karonga-Chitipa road falling in between the cracks of the politics of funding.
That is my 2-tambala line of thought if we went to the polls in the next year or so, the pattern might change if we maintained 2009 for elections, some political groupings might have time to consolidate their grips on certain areas of the country, others might want to go to political beds in partnership etc.
Gonani bwino nonse.
Isaac
I can only guess the figures in the posting above should have an "m" in front of them so it represents "million".
If this were to happen as soon as, my prediction would be that MCP would carry the day, I will tell you why I think so, musathamange mwazi kaye: -
Of all the parties represented in Parliament today, MCP has had the most stable MPs; there have been very very few movements except for a few cases like the Kainjas...the electors of MCP MPs will have to reinforce this good behaviour of their MPs - sticking to what MCP stands for.
That said, MCP's leader has been around for a long time and all he knows is MCP, the only time I can remember he kind of showed a rare breed of instability was when he openly supported the open terms/3rd term bills "drama" when Muluzi's term of office was coming to its close...but he quickly retreated because he "listened to the voice of reason within his own party and he sensed what a political blunder that was going to be." (To digress a bit, sometimes I think he supported the UDF machinations at that time because he thought and believed that MCP was in a position of wrestling power back from UDF and so he was going to be the one enjoying the fruits of open terms for Malawi's presidents or indeed three terms running, after all that is what he was used to when the Lion was in control of the reigns of power in Malawi).
Thirdly, MCP's strong base is in the Central Region and it is the least affected by unstable MPs, JZU knows how to play regional politics so much that he has failed completely to make sound in-roads in the South as well as the North and he seems to care very little about this and this consolidates his power for the following reasons: -
The South will have 2 or 3 giants in the front line...a probable giant from UDF, a probable giant from DPP (BwM has declared that he is going to stand again) and another giant from these "brief-case parties"...you can not rule out people like Vincent Gwandangulube Chakuamba (kodi ndi Vincent munthu uja eti?), you can not predict the political behaviour of people like BJ if the UDF do not pick him up as their front runner and you never know what Jimmy-Koreia Mpatsa might want to come up with in liaison with Justin Chimera Malewezi...so basically, there will be running battles in the South between UDF and DPP...there will be a fight and a bloody one there and as DPP and UDF fight over the South, JZU will be calling the shots in the Central region.
The North will be a tricky one...until about 4 - 5 months ago, DPP might have been taking a strong grip on the region but I do not think it is the case any longer...the people of Karonga and Chitipa might find themselves confused on who cares about their roads and certainly they may find DPP equally deceptive on the "Roads-project" in that part of the country. The signs of AFORD's revival do not spell good news either for most of the parties...Rumphi will also be a very very tricky one, the DPP President not having attended the burial ceremony of one Chakufwa "Simbiyamoto" Chihana, the people there might not find "comfort" in the same, CC was one of Rumphi's respected children and he still commanded a lot of respect there (I dare say). AKB, should he choose to run again, might, arguably, control Nkhata-bay and Ralph Kasambara having been treated the way he has been by the Government, might want to help out in keeping DPP at bay (I am just speculating here, I do not know) and his impact should not be overlooked...Mzimba might be the liberal one where voters might want some persuasion and convincing as to who to vote for.
My analysis for the North in general, makes it a very difficult region to predict in its voting pattern but I can definitely rule out any significant impact coming from MCP, UDF might control Likoma and a small part of Nkhata-bay because of the Neuro-Surgeon turned politician, Nga Ntafu. The North, in general, might be able to vote for different people of different parties just like they did in 2004 because as we speak, there is no big big politician making significant impact in as far influencing the electorate is concerned.
Goodall Gondwe should have been the man for DPP, but the Government has not helped him in, once again, the Karonga-Chitipa road falling in between the cracks of the politics of funding.
That is my 2-tambala line of thought if we went to the polls in the next year or so, the pattern might change if we maintained 2009 for elections, some political groupings might have time to consolidate their grips on certain areas of the country, others might want to go to political beds in partnership etc.
Gonani bwino nonse.
Isaac
AFORD: THE LAST NAIL ON ITS GOLDEN CASKET?
Who would have thought, if we turned the hands of time to 1991, 1992, 1993, that AFORD would be in the shape it is today? Probably no sane Malawian would except those that have "helped" AFORD to be where it is today. AFORD called the shots in the years prescribed above.
Something must have happened on "the way to Damascus" for AFORD, instead of gaining back its sight after 1994 elections when it was given a "bloody" nose and a huge and immense wake-up call, it kind of remained blind to all things that mattered to it and the Malawian people. Since I have no information on what happened, on this "road to Damascus" I will not attempt to delve into the field, however, I will offer my opinions on what I think and what AFORD should do to kind of attempt to regain its meaning and purpose to the Malawian political scene.
Arguably, when Loveness Gondwe, MP was pronounced "President" of AFORD recently, there were people in the "room" like me behind my computer, who said "really?" I could be wrong for those in the "elections room" but I did just that...first and foremost I never would have imagined Loveness Gondwe, MP would rise up and take up the mantle of leadership in AFORD, let alone after CC (RIP). She simply never crossed my mind to end up in the top position of AFORD's small world. Not that the rise of Loveness Gondwe is detrimental in itself, what with the sensitivity we have to approach issues of gender equity, but I doubt her capabilities of "rebuilding" the party...I could be wrong.
AFORD, in my view, at this point in time needed a "leader" that can redirect the party, reshape the Party in readiness for a national challenge, in my small world too, I have no inclination to believe Loveness Gondwe, MP has the guts, clout, charm, eloquence, vigour, strength, political prowess to do that to the Party, we probably have to wait and see...her rise, in my view, may as well be the last nail on AFORD's golden casket...again I could be wrong.
AFORD, at some point in its existence, could well have been described as an "oasis and fountain" of good political composition, professionals from all walks of life and from across the Malawian nation grouped together to stand up for the Malawian people, you remember Dr Meki Mtewa, you remember the Mapopa Chipetas, the Mayinga Mkandawires and all? AFORD lost a golden opportunity to do to Malawian politics what it ought to have done in a good, subtle, beautiful way.
AFORD can redirect the party and the sooner it does that the better. AFORD needs to look at Malawi as standing in need of good leadership and that good political leadership will only be able to sprout from organised, stable and serious political groupings which, AFORD, arguably, started with and failed to sustain over the years...let me be quick to point out that not all is lost because that image can determine their road map in order to regain it...the mirrors are still there where this, that 1991/91/93 image is reflecting and lesson can be learnt.
The ball is in your court, AFORD, you have passed it on to Loveness Gondwe, MP...we will wait till she starts kicking it around - in the view of this Malawian citizen, an opportunity to rebuild the party has been lost by passing the ball on to Loveness Gondwe, MP, what with the Norman Nyirenda’s in the field of play?
We will keenly watch your direction.
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Edinburgh – Scotland
David Mkwambisi, Greenwell Matchaya and John Mthupo have made the following comments on this issue: -
***
Isaac
Over the years, I have tried to write something on AFORD and national development. In so many cases I have deleted and rejected full articles on AFORD as a party and AFORD and its leadership. But over the same period I have been very sensitive and stupid enough to fail and articulate clearly how my message can avoid writing on AFORD as a regional party rather than a national party. Therefore among my unanswered questions, is to give section b of your gaps, will AFORD come out as a national party or will remain a regional property under Gondwe the MP? What will be consequences of creating linings towards a regional entity rather than opening the windows to the rest of the people? Is this what we do observe within the MCP and UDF as regional oriented political groups? I was here. Did you hear me Isaac?
Greenwell Matchaya comented: -
Dear people,
It is indeed sad that we seem some parties like MCP and UDF and
ex-aford
blossoming like regional parties on the whole and this must be
discouraged.
But for politicians, they will find it inevitable in the short run to
regionalise or racialize or villagize or districtise hahah their
parties
just to be in power. The price to pay is great but it falls on the
people
they rule not the politicians themselves. Had Aford not succumbed to
UDF
trick they would have been great by now and politician would not be
worse
off there. but gosh ndalama mchilombo, money corrupted one aford member
after the other until the party went unconscious.
The only problem is that, unless something dramatic happens, parties
bolstered this way would suffer national injustice in inverse
proportion to
their sizes. Parties representing minorities would find it tough to win
national presidency and this might not be without its problems. This is
why
parties must not be regionalised, villagised, districtised ohh what a
coinage
Greenwell
John Mthupo macked in as follows: -
Isaac,
Your observations are common to all parties and our politicians. Unfortunately politicians are so greedy that they become blind to the realities on the ground. I don’t want to underestimate Loveness but I think, if AFORD gurus really wanted to resurrect the party to its old self, they should have done a thorough research on a “fitting” Presidential candidate, someone with the acumen and stature of a president. This “someone” does not necessarily have to come from AFORD. It can be somebody from another political party or it can be somebody currently not in politics. Somebody who can have a spontaneous appeal on Malawians. This is where I give credit to Brown Mpinganjira and the UDF in its early days of its inception. These guys decided to look for somebody “with a name” to be their first leader. I am told they approached the likes of the Late Justice Chatsika and the Late Dr. Chiphangwi before they settled for Bakili Muluzi. Had the first two accepted, we would have been talking of a different story today. The choice of Bakili was not bad either considering that he was well known and respected at the time because of his previous political record and positions he held in the “old” MCP.
Things started going wrong for the UDF when Bakili became President. Many influential personalities who would have naturally and easily assumed the UDF mantle either died or were forced out of the party. I am talking about the likes of the Late Edward Bwanali, the Late Shaibu Itimu, the Late Chizumila, Aleke Banda, Justine Malewezi, etc. Today the UDF has problems identifying a natural successor because of greed and lack of foresightedness. If the UDF is not careful, especially in the way it will handle the issue of succession, it will crumble just like AFORD. Because each aspirant, if frustrated, can choose to go their own way and this will mean taking away their own chunk of supporters thereby weakening the already frail UDF.
This problem is also felt in the MCP. With the brutal murders of Gadama and Matenje and the political persecutions of prominent and natural successors to Kamuzu the MCP succession plans are not clear up to today. Can you imagine what the political landscape would have been like and how political powerhouse the MCP would have been if we still had the characters of Gadama, Matenje, and Sangala around? Koma because of “ndikhale ndi ine” all these people are not there and things are not the same. Today one cannot easily point at a single personality in MCP who can succeed Tembo. Potential candidates within the party are afraid to come out and show their political prowess. They know the consequences of doing so.
As for the DPP the same scenario applies. People are busy persecuting each other in order to establish themselves as small “gods” within the party. They don’t care what impact their actions may have on the image of the party. All they want is to climb to the top. The party had promising young talents in Kasambala, oratory skills in Mussa, and imposing personalities in Ng’oma and yet the party and its leadership decided to let these go without any “remorse”.
Yet what all political leaders forget is that one of the strengths of their parties and their own personalities after their offices is in grooming or identifying powerful and visionary leaders for their parties. Personalities that will easily assume leadership without fights like those we are witnessing in the UDF. Fights that may, eventually, kill the party. Nyerere died a hero and with dignity and his party, Chamachamapinduzi”, is still very powerful and ruling because Nyerere had the vision and humility to accept that there are others who can do better than himself and decided to quit after carefully grooming a successor. The same applies to South Africa . Mandela is respected today and has the hero status because of his humility in being accommodative. He quit politics after only one term and groomed a successor who is looking after him very well. ANC is the strongest party today and it is obvious that the next six or so presidents of South Africa will always come from ANC if things do not drastically change. All because Mandela professionally and fatherly steered the party to what it is today. If he did not handle it properly, chances are that we were going to have so many splinter groups from ANC and things would not have been the same.
So AFORD is not alone in this game. All political parties have the same disease. “Ndikhale ndi ine” syndrome.
John
I have made some comments to the thoughts of David, Greenwell and Joh as follows: -
David,
I tried to hear you...and i listened too.
Over the years, AFORD has lost its natinal identity - I am not sure
if this came about by default or by design - anybody can have a go at
that.
What i am sure of is that AFORD started as a National entity and most
malawians never gave the party a second thought on what they were up to
- Governing malawi in a democratic culture. My view is that their
"terrible" loss in 1994 was because of something...one of the conspriancy
theories purports that when asked to come up with a shadow cabinet, CC
(RIP) drafted more than three quarters of the would be Cabinet from the
North - some people argue that this was not necessarily because of
regionalistic notions but because CC was looking at potential and capability
- however if this were true, CC should have been the first one to
project that this arrangement may politically backfire and it did - mind you
this is not based on something I know for a fact - but of "conspirancy
theorists."
Following this, achina Che BM, the HKB etc, anangoti "mwamuwona" -
that was now behind the scenes and there and then AFORD was adrift, going
off shore and the people on the control panels did not do much to halt
the change in direction...I do not know.
Since 1994, the leadership of AFORD because dangerously unstable,
politically bedding UDF, MCP, MCP, UDF in very strange and intersting
patterns and styles; in the process "AFORD the giant" continued to shrink,
losing credible people on the journey and the AFORD we see today is one
that needs a lot of clever, painful, shrewed, bold, immense, and huge
political aligments, moves, decsions and machinations...and when i get
to that and hear that Loveness Gondwe, MP, is the leader, i stop to
think of an AFORD that will ever again, be fit for its original purpose,
but then, i have already conceded that "I could be wrong."
Norman Nyirenda's outburts the other time only drifted AFORD further
to its "fate"
Grenwell and John,
You both mack in very well on this issue...the political scenery in
Malawi, looked at from "our" political parties, presents a very
non-promising picture of a progressive democracy. Some of us have always
contended that "democracy needs to mature" at party levels before we can notice
any significant changes at a national level...so our task as Malawians
is to tackle the causes of undemocratic seeds and notions at party
levels and naturally things should, somehow, knit themselves in place at a
national level.
It is the responsibity of each and every political party member, each
and every malawian, to, at each oportunity presented, to stand up for
democratic values in and within their parties. We will, as a nation, only
be able to breed good, democraticlly mature leaders at a
national level if we cross-bred them at political party level...
N'nati n'nensotu ine abale!!!
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Something must have happened on "the way to Damascus" for AFORD, instead of gaining back its sight after 1994 elections when it was given a "bloody" nose and a huge and immense wake-up call, it kind of remained blind to all things that mattered to it and the Malawian people. Since I have no information on what happened, on this "road to Damascus" I will not attempt to delve into the field, however, I will offer my opinions on what I think and what AFORD should do to kind of attempt to regain its meaning and purpose to the Malawian political scene.
Arguably, when Loveness Gondwe, MP was pronounced "President" of AFORD recently, there were people in the "room" like me behind my computer, who said "really?" I could be wrong for those in the "elections room" but I did just that...first and foremost I never would have imagined Loveness Gondwe, MP would rise up and take up the mantle of leadership in AFORD, let alone after CC (RIP). She simply never crossed my mind to end up in the top position of AFORD's small world. Not that the rise of Loveness Gondwe is detrimental in itself, what with the sensitivity we have to approach issues of gender equity, but I doubt her capabilities of "rebuilding" the party...I could be wrong.
AFORD, in my view, at this point in time needed a "leader" that can redirect the party, reshape the Party in readiness for a national challenge, in my small world too, I have no inclination to believe Loveness Gondwe, MP has the guts, clout, charm, eloquence, vigour, strength, political prowess to do that to the Party, we probably have to wait and see...her rise, in my view, may as well be the last nail on AFORD's golden casket...again I could be wrong.
AFORD, at some point in its existence, could well have been described as an "oasis and fountain" of good political composition, professionals from all walks of life and from across the Malawian nation grouped together to stand up for the Malawian people, you remember Dr Meki Mtewa, you remember the Mapopa Chipetas, the Mayinga Mkandawires and all? AFORD lost a golden opportunity to do to Malawian politics what it ought to have done in a good, subtle, beautiful way.
AFORD can redirect the party and the sooner it does that the better. AFORD needs to look at Malawi as standing in need of good leadership and that good political leadership will only be able to sprout from organised, stable and serious political groupings which, AFORD, arguably, started with and failed to sustain over the years...let me be quick to point out that not all is lost because that image can determine their road map in order to regain it...the mirrors are still there where this, that 1991/91/93 image is reflecting and lesson can be learnt.
The ball is in your court, AFORD, you have passed it on to Loveness Gondwe, MP...we will wait till she starts kicking it around - in the view of this Malawian citizen, an opportunity to rebuild the party has been lost by passing the ball on to Loveness Gondwe, MP, what with the Norman Nyirenda’s in the field of play?
We will keenly watch your direction.
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Edinburgh – Scotland
David Mkwambisi, Greenwell Matchaya and John Mthupo have made the following comments on this issue: -
***
Isaac
Over the years, I have tried to write something on AFORD and national development. In so many cases I have deleted and rejected full articles on AFORD as a party and AFORD and its leadership. But over the same period I have been very sensitive and stupid enough to fail and articulate clearly how my message can avoid writing on AFORD as a regional party rather than a national party. Therefore among my unanswered questions, is to give section b of your gaps, will AFORD come out as a national party or will remain a regional property under Gondwe the MP? What will be consequences of creating linings towards a regional entity rather than opening the windows to the rest of the people? Is this what we do observe within the MCP and UDF as regional oriented political groups? I was here. Did you hear me Isaac?
Greenwell Matchaya comented: -
Dear people,
It is indeed sad that we seem some parties like MCP and UDF and
ex-aford
blossoming like regional parties on the whole and this must be
discouraged.
But for politicians, they will find it inevitable in the short run to
regionalise or racialize or villagize or districtise hahah their
parties
just to be in power. The price to pay is great but it falls on the
people
they rule not the politicians themselves. Had Aford not succumbed to
UDF
trick they would have been great by now and politician would not be
worse
off there. but gosh ndalama mchilombo, money corrupted one aford member
after the other until the party went unconscious.
The only problem is that, unless something dramatic happens, parties
bolstered this way would suffer national injustice in inverse
proportion to
their sizes. Parties representing minorities would find it tough to win
national presidency and this might not be without its problems. This is
why
parties must not be regionalised, villagised, districtised ohh what a
coinage
Greenwell
John Mthupo macked in as follows: -
Isaac,
Your observations are common to all parties and our politicians. Unfortunately politicians are so greedy that they become blind to the realities on the ground. I don’t want to underestimate Loveness but I think, if AFORD gurus really wanted to resurrect the party to its old self, they should have done a thorough research on a “fitting” Presidential candidate, someone with the acumen and stature of a president. This “someone” does not necessarily have to come from AFORD. It can be somebody from another political party or it can be somebody currently not in politics. Somebody who can have a spontaneous appeal on Malawians. This is where I give credit to Brown Mpinganjira and the UDF in its early days of its inception. These guys decided to look for somebody “with a name” to be their first leader. I am told they approached the likes of the Late Justice Chatsika and the Late Dr. Chiphangwi before they settled for Bakili Muluzi. Had the first two accepted, we would have been talking of a different story today. The choice of Bakili was not bad either considering that he was well known and respected at the time because of his previous political record and positions he held in the “old” MCP.
Things started going wrong for the UDF when Bakili became President. Many influential personalities who would have naturally and easily assumed the UDF mantle either died or were forced out of the party. I am talking about the likes of the Late Edward Bwanali, the Late Shaibu Itimu, the Late Chizumila, Aleke Banda, Justine Malewezi, etc. Today the UDF has problems identifying a natural successor because of greed and lack of foresightedness. If the UDF is not careful, especially in the way it will handle the issue of succession, it will crumble just like AFORD. Because each aspirant, if frustrated, can choose to go their own way and this will mean taking away their own chunk of supporters thereby weakening the already frail UDF.
This problem is also felt in the MCP. With the brutal murders of Gadama and Matenje and the political persecutions of prominent and natural successors to Kamuzu the MCP succession plans are not clear up to today. Can you imagine what the political landscape would have been like and how political powerhouse the MCP would have been if we still had the characters of Gadama, Matenje, and Sangala around? Koma because of “ndikhale ndi ine” all these people are not there and things are not the same. Today one cannot easily point at a single personality in MCP who can succeed Tembo. Potential candidates within the party are afraid to come out and show their political prowess. They know the consequences of doing so.
As for the DPP the same scenario applies. People are busy persecuting each other in order to establish themselves as small “gods” within the party. They don’t care what impact their actions may have on the image of the party. All they want is to climb to the top. The party had promising young talents in Kasambala, oratory skills in Mussa, and imposing personalities in Ng’oma and yet the party and its leadership decided to let these go without any “remorse”.
Yet what all political leaders forget is that one of the strengths of their parties and their own personalities after their offices is in grooming or identifying powerful and visionary leaders for their parties. Personalities that will easily assume leadership without fights like those we are witnessing in the UDF. Fights that may, eventually, kill the party. Nyerere died a hero and with dignity and his party, Chamachamapinduzi”, is still very powerful and ruling because Nyerere had the vision and humility to accept that there are others who can do better than himself and decided to quit after carefully grooming a successor. The same applies to South Africa . Mandela is respected today and has the hero status because of his humility in being accommodative. He quit politics after only one term and groomed a successor who is looking after him very well. ANC is the strongest party today and it is obvious that the next six or so presidents of South Africa will always come from ANC if things do not drastically change. All because Mandela professionally and fatherly steered the party to what it is today. If he did not handle it properly, chances are that we were going to have so many splinter groups from ANC and things would not have been the same.
So AFORD is not alone in this game. All political parties have the same disease. “Ndikhale ndi ine” syndrome.
John
I have made some comments to the thoughts of David, Greenwell and Joh as follows: -
David,
I tried to hear you...and i listened too.
Over the years, AFORD has lost its natinal identity - I am not sure
if this came about by default or by design - anybody can have a go at
that.
What i am sure of is that AFORD started as a National entity and most
malawians never gave the party a second thought on what they were up to
- Governing malawi in a democratic culture. My view is that their
"terrible" loss in 1994 was because of something...one of the conspriancy
theories purports that when asked to come up with a shadow cabinet, CC
(RIP) drafted more than three quarters of the would be Cabinet from the
North - some people argue that this was not necessarily because of
regionalistic notions but because CC was looking at potential and capability
- however if this were true, CC should have been the first one to
project that this arrangement may politically backfire and it did - mind you
this is not based on something I know for a fact - but of "conspirancy
theorists."
Following this, achina Che BM, the HKB etc, anangoti "mwamuwona" -
that was now behind the scenes and there and then AFORD was adrift, going
off shore and the people on the control panels did not do much to halt
the change in direction...I do not know.
Since 1994, the leadership of AFORD because dangerously unstable,
politically bedding UDF, MCP, MCP, UDF in very strange and intersting
patterns and styles; in the process "AFORD the giant" continued to shrink,
losing credible people on the journey and the AFORD we see today is one
that needs a lot of clever, painful, shrewed, bold, immense, and huge
political aligments, moves, decsions and machinations...and when i get
to that and hear that Loveness Gondwe, MP, is the leader, i stop to
think of an AFORD that will ever again, be fit for its original purpose,
but then, i have already conceded that "I could be wrong."
Norman Nyirenda's outburts the other time only drifted AFORD further
to its "fate"
Grenwell and John,
You both mack in very well on this issue...the political scenery in
Malawi, looked at from "our" political parties, presents a very
non-promising picture of a progressive democracy. Some of us have always
contended that "democracy needs to mature" at party levels before we can notice
any significant changes at a national level...so our task as Malawians
is to tackle the causes of undemocratic seeds and notions at party
levels and naturally things should, somehow, knit themselves in place at a
national level.
It is the responsibity of each and every political party member, each
and every malawian, to, at each oportunity presented, to stand up for
democratic values in and within their parties. We will, as a nation, only
be able to breed good, democraticlly mature leaders at a
national level if we cross-bred them at political party level...
N'nati n'nensotu ine abale!!!
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Nurse Migration: My experiences and views
In March 2006, I presented a paper on peronnal experiences of Nurse migration.This was in Geneva at a conference organized by the International Organization on Migration (IOM), World Health Organization and Amnesty International. Talking points of the paper I presented can be viewed on the folowing link for those interested:
http://www.old.iom.int/en/PDF_Files/mhr/Presentations/presentation_ziba.pdf
http://www.old.iom.int/en/PDF_Files/mhr/Presentations/presentation_ziba.pdf
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