Preamble....
At the dawn of the year, 2014... we were ushered into a decision year, a year that signals the clocking of 50 years of independence in Malawi and a year that has seen Malawi awaiting it since the demise of the Late President Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika.
Political game in this year is promising to be unprecedented and fingers are crossed on what the outcome shall be come May 20th. The year promises many political heavyweights in different brands. Much more with the fact that since the fateful September 23rd night, cashgate scandal has been the limelight for most political debates and cannot be thrown under the carpet. The year sounds uncharacteristically packed with surprises as we turn off the pages towards the decision date - election day. There seems to be 'too much to swallow' on the offer for a political mind, and we need to accept one fact, that the year will determine political winners and losers, will separate men from boys politically. I would like to offer some analyses of the year and ensure that I drive home what I presume should be the vision of the nation towards the next half-a-century beyond 2014.
Political Maturity...
The mode of politics practised in the nation is antagonistic and irrelevant, if we are to assess the results of the same and its time the political game became mature.. Politics in the country takes advantage of the majority poor and thrives in the ignorant rural populations. Such politics is devoid of fact and policy measures that can take this country into the distant prosperous future. Political vision is so undefined. Since most of the political parties have not yet released their manifestos, one wonders, on what premises, shall voters use to vote for 'this' political party or candidate. There seem to be other huge problems with the political game in Malawi. Political legacies which have refused to die and have been passed on from one political echelons to another. The political actors remain unchanged while political names and political brands keep changing. The unfixing political support of 'the government of the day' has been a song which in spite of the criticisms have characterised most political prostitutes. Our members of parliament learn a lesson only after their term is almost served and relegate the information at the back of their minds, once another term begins. Political leaders have no vision for the country, they usually thrive on their predecessors plans and goals. Our strategy papers remain colourful on paper and vanish unrealised because of lack of political will. Such a political game has left the government bureaucracy directionless, turning the technocrats into vultures of the public purse. The nation doesn't seem to pose any threat, even to our neighbours and as the fight against corruption remains rhetoric than practical, leaving the powerless fishes down the hook responsible for the whole game...
Political maturity is needed and an overhaul in the political system is what the citizens of the nation need the most. The political decisions keep affecting us all, as such we cannot comfortably divorce our engagement in the political matters of the country. What the country needs is a refreshing political game and an unambitious political plan that would unearth the best of this nation. What we need is a political 'John Chilembwe' leader of some sort, who would embrace the interests of the poor 80% Malawians and utilize the little resources the nation has been blessed by. Political game should be founded on policy not partisanship. This is a stance, not many political scientists, would agree with. But policy-based political game would minimize political 'ratting' in the august house thereby minimize the violation of section 65 and ensure that political opportunists, whose mental agenda is 'serving the government of the day', are defined for who they are. We need visionary manifestos, surprisingly political parties have refused to sell their ideas to the electorate but have come forth to disburse 'handouts'. The mentality of 'giveaways' in the country, is what has syphoned the government resources, as after the handouts have run dry, one would want to replenish or payback. Political game in Malawi has mimicked a business investment, where returns must outweigh capital. If I would want to contest for an MP of my area, I would have to raise funds for my campaign which is calculable by publicity plus logistics plus handouts... I would assume the constituents to be 'dogs' who would wave their tails the moment I release a piece of meat or something... The political game of handouts has thrived in the country due to lack of principles... the citizenry and leadership alike are empty of principles for humanity, thus we want free gifts to choose a 'choice political leader'. Leadership is not defined by the quality and quantity of gift on offer, just as we cannot define a good husband from a 3Cs criteria (Cash, Car and Cellphone/Circumcision). The choice leader for the nation, it is sad to say, will not be the one who gives us fish, it will be the one who trains us how to fish. We need principled leadership and policy direction in this nation. The political game must therefore change into a developmental political game, if at all we intent to be a developmental state...
A better nation...
This country has what it takes to flourish and rate itself to what it wants to be. Malawi is a sleeping giant with all resources it needs. For instance, I bang my head to think that the nation has adequate water resources, yet the country fails to carter supply for its two million six hundred thousand urban dwellers... the country fails to turn the greenbelt project rhetoric into reality and become a bread basket for the Sub-Saharan Africa... The nation still falters in hydro-electricity supply for its business sector, despite the ever-flowing river Shire and the never-ending stories of floods in the Lower Shire... The nation boasts to possess brains and people of brilliant acumen, graduates of our prestigious universities, whose national contribution remain insignificant, sad to say... I believe most of these graduates are let down by the form of leadership and legacy that is choking our nation... I believe that the nation has been let down by the nature of its leadership... Our leaders have, in as far as governance is concerned, been shortsighted to serve two 'five year' terms superfluously seeking wealth and amassing inter-generational riches... The state of the nation is a clear statement that patriotism ends on the inauguration podium and what takes centre stage beyond inauguration is self-interest... A better nation is only realised when self-less individuals, vested with a national vision take leadership positions, when the citizenry turns on a hardworking attitude and expect to see change from the grass root levels to the political helm of government. The results of this mentality are obvious. Egypt and DRC offers classical examples of consequences of leadership where leaders are obsessed with self-wealth accummulation. In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak amassed wealth to the tune of US$70 Billion, yet the rural and urban masses lamented on poor public policy, the same was for DRC, where Joseph Mobutu Sese seko had wealth worth US$ 4 Billion... In fact one publisher stated that African leaders have been more wealthy than the leaders of the west developed countries, citing that the total net worth of ALL US presidents is US $ 2.7 billion according to a report compiled in The Atlantic written by editors of 24/7 Wall Street, a Delaware based financial news tabloid. But surprisingly most African leaders have soared above this wealth with significant margins... For instance, General Sani Abacha possessed wealth worth US $ 20 billion, Felix Houphouet-Boigny of Cote d’Ivoire possessed wealth of US $6 billion and another Nigerian leaders, General Ibrahim Babangida was worth US $5 billion.
Concluding Remarks...
The year 2014 would be a year to remember if the nation chooses to lament on what has been achieved over the last 50 years and decides to improve... it shall be a year to remember should the electorate take to the polls with a better, visionary political choice leader and political party. It shall be a year to remember should our government structures be overhauled and a new mentality of patriotism and nation-building shake the thinking of our bureaucrats. It will definitely be a year to remember should the political game change to reflect a political game consistent with characters of a developmental state...
