Fryson Chozi writes:
THE POLITICAL VERDICT
Episode 1: The burden of leadership, Chilima’s Balancing Act!
At this moment, I don’t envy Saulos Klaus Chilima, the Republican Vice President. The man is put in a situation where going forward is as fastidious as going backwards.
Every day, there are calls from different quarters and some pretend to have a divine vision or whatever is called prophecy for Chilima to tread UTM out of Tonse Alliance and for him to resign from the Vice Presidency.
As if that’s not enough, the major partner in the Tonse Alliance (MCP) while at an official level pretends as if all is fine in the alliance, unleashes its attack dogs on Chilima at every opportunity. It would be naïve or childish for a person to think that the attacks that Chilima is suffering from the media team from MCP is at an individual level, it is sanctioned.
Compounded to all these, there have been rumors of posturing among top brass of the MCP who will take over in the event Chilima is out of power. The idea of Impeachment for Chalima has not been abandoned but rather pended because it became too obvious.
For now the official plan is to corner Chilima to an extent that he must throw in the towel. Very soon, we are likely to see some CSOs for hire, getting into the streets demanding for either resignation or impeachment of Chilima.
In all this, truth be told, I wouldn’t like to be SKC, mfana oganiza bhoo at this time. To begin with, the calls made on Chilima are academic and to some extent very reckless to some point. Of course the people making the calls are either naïve or they are political assassins. But the majority falls into the first category, and they think that it’s easy for Chilima to just wake up and say am out of the Alliance and no longer the Vice President.
Whatever Chilima decides has a huge repercussion not only for his political and personal life, but for a group of people and lives that have survived on his being the Vice President and UTM being an alliance partner.
In fact, if Chilima decides to leave the Alliance today, there is a huge collateral damage and domino effect of the decision. The decision will disrupt a lot of people’s lives. Lots of people will become jobless, they will lose a way of life.
Don’t just focus on the few cabinet ministers, but look at the whole nine yards of family, friends and UTM supporters who have received government contracts, done business with government, employed in diplomatic missions, in the civil service, in boards, and what have you. Chilima is not naïve and he knows all this. He literally knows that he is not making a personal decision but rather he is carrying the entire village of UTM and others.
It’s much easier for Chilima to leave Tonse Alliance and applauded by few overzealous people who are more hoping that the day Tonse Alliance crumble will be the end of the Government, unfortunately that will not be the case. Chilima staying in the Government and holding on to the Vice Presidency is hurting him more on a personal level as compared to him leaving which the triple effects on several lives.
What the Political Verdict?
Given an opportunity to advise Chilima, I would advise him to stay on as the Vice President of Malawi and UTM must be in the alliance, for better or for worse. If UTM and Chilima were to get out the Government, let it be around mid-2024 and not now.
The basis of this verdict is that, if Chilima was to resign today as a Vice President, besides the issues raised above about livelihood of people lost, it shall be the end of democracy as we know it. Malawians seems to have short memory.
MCP wants Chilima and UTM out of Government for them to consolidate power and even develop another system similar to what they had in the 1960s. The problem with most Malawians think that the first multi-party elections in Malawi were held in 1994. NO.
The first multi-party elections in Malawi were held on 28th April 1964. When MCP emerged victorious, it started with a purging campaign which led to one party state.
Déjà vu 2022. There are people so myopic that think MCP does not harbor ambitions of another unopposed 30 year rule in Malawi. If you see the actions and laws the MCP are pushing, are synonymous of the hangover of what happened in 1960s. Only that we have a digital age and more learned society that is going to fight all the way. So taking out Chilima from Government is part of a larger scheme towards total control and rule.
MCP cannot and should not be allowed to consolidate power. Chakwera has already shown that he ha dictatorial tendencies looking at how he deal with perceived enemies in MCP. Of course it’s not surprising for a Pastor to act that way. He is a man so used at being praisedl and having total authority at church where he was given authority by God, which is not inl politics.
So as to my verdict, Chilima must stay put. Don’t listen to the irrational calls of people that are naïve of are just political schemers just to finish you off. In fact, the people making such calls are well aware that if you decide to leave now, UTM will break as those to be affected might decide to stay with MCP. From the looks of things it might be fatal.
What next?
Be the Vice President, use the state resources to expose the MCP hypocrisy. The MCP can’t be fighting you left, right and centre and you continue to be a good man. Take the fight to MCP until they must be exposed and feel naked and realize that you are an integral part of this Government and cannot just be used and dumped.
