As Malawi power shifts: Where Malawians want Chakwera to lead them to 

Political power is a prostitute; yesterday it was in bed with Peter Mutharika and, see now, today it’s busy in Lazarus Chakwera’s bed.

It has, in a flash of a moment, made Chakwera to be called His Excellency the State President Chakwera and, oops, thrown Mutharika into the club of Bakili Muluzi and Joyce Banda—former presidents.

What is interesting with power’s prostitution is that when it moves from one bed to another, one political party to another, it completely transforms the political landscape of the country.

In the case of power shift from Mutharika to Chakwera, Malawians expect drastic, radical and fundamental changes that will completely give a fresh outlook on how government operates.

Look here, for the past 26 years, Malawi’s political landscape was dominated by governance decisions made by two families: Muluzi and Mutharika.

At the heart of these decisions, truth be told, was the quest for the two families to maintain their grip on power unfortunately at the expense of well-being of Malawians.

In other words, Malawi’s development strides in the past 26 years were, actually, by-products; they weren’t main products because the two families’ principal interest was to keep power within their cabal.

That is why, during these fresh presidential polls, Malawians went into their large number to make a political turning point: To take their power back from the two families.

Now that power has been taken from the two families, the question is: How must Chakwera and Chilima structure their exercise of power to ensure that we don’t create another family dynasty?

In debating this question, it is imperative to underline that the shift of power under discussion goes beyond the symbolic twisting of benches in parliament and, of course, the hiring of new faces and the firing of old ones.

What is critical, of course, is that Chakwera and Chilima structure their exercise of power in a way that right people are placed in key governance institutions that protect the integrity of our Republican institution.

Truth be told, if there is anything that we have learnt in the past 6 months then it’s the importance of having right and upright people in key government institutions.

We all bear testimony today, and we are self-evident, that having sober minded people, such as Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda, is critical in ensuring fair, balanced and an independent judiciary.

We all bear testimony today, and we are self-evident, that having serious minded personnel such as Justice Dr Chifundo Kachale heading Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC); not matter the fiscal and logistical challenges, Malawians can be promised of a free, fair and impartial electoral process.

We also, of course, bear testimony that having compromised personnel such as Lloyd Muhara managing the civil service can be dangerous.

Even too dangerous things can turn when, as a matter of fact, you have numb, arrogant and indecisive bores such Justice Dr Jane Ansah handling decisive issues such as presidential elections.

I am saying we are self-evident that it is disastrous and dangerous to leave key institutions such as Malawi Broadcasting Corporations (MBC) in the hands of slapdash Aubrey Sumbuleta; State House management in the hands tribalist Bright Molande; and security of the head of state in the hands of corrupt and manipulative Norman Chisale.

Where we stand, here, as a nation today, we are self-evident of the best practices that our country needs to move.

We have both, the best and worst examples, of how we need to manage ourselves; as such, Chakwera and Chilima would have none but themselves to blame if they, again, stray towards Mutharika’s destructive route.

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