Lowdown on UTM ride

Since Saturday, tongues have been wagging about the crowd-pulling launch of the United Transformation Movement led by Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima, but does the new side offer anything to smile about? Our news Analyst SUZGO CHITETE took the burning issue to political commentator Makhumbo Munthali.

Q

: What do you make of Chilima’s rally?

A

: Generally, he had a good show as compared to his previous public speeches where he spoke in parables and left his audience in suspense on his political future. For the first time in recent years, we saw someone tackling issues that really matter to ordinary Malawians head on. He spoke without fear and favour, with a deep conviction. His ability to touch on some so-called politically sensitive issues—like the quota system of selecting students to public universities which both the governing Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] and  Malawi Congress Party [MCP] have avoided—showed a great sense of decisiveness.

The 30-day amnesty given to those who are stealing taxpayers’ money showed traits of transformational leadership where a leader is not afraid of burning his fingers or reducing the chances of winning in an election,  but sticks to ideologies as long as they are transformative enough.

In summary, the message he preached on Saturday is largely what Malawians wanted to hear after being greeted with a series of proverbs which did not say much about his agenda for the country.

Q

: The Vice-President has challenged President Peter Mutharika, who is being accused of corruption. Should we trust his voice?

A

: I think the question of whether we should trust Chilima’s allegations that Mutharika’s administration is engrossed in corruption is a foregone conclusion. And you don’t need the Vice-President to tell us that there is corruption as every Malawian of goodwill knows that corruption is deep-rooted in the current regime.

Perhaps the question should be: Why has it taken Chilima four years to discover that there is corruption in a regime he has been part and parcel of? Certainly, he might be accusing the DPP administration because he has severed political ties with the party. It could be one of those political statements aimed at discrediting your political foe. Would the Veep have said the same accusations had he been part and parcel of the 2019 presidential race as DPP presidential candidate or running mate?

Q

: But was Chilima really part of the regime he is criticising?

A

: Of course, one may argue that despite being

part of a corrupt regime by virtue of being the Vice-President, he was side-lined in a number of activities—rendering his office powerless or irrelevant in the process.  Chilima may not have participated in the loot. This too is debatable. Nevertheless, answering the question of whether to trust his voice or not does not depend on whether the Veep is making these allegations out of malice or goodwill,  but rather judging his accusations as to whether they are true or not. If you ask many Malawians, corruption is deep-rooted in the current regime.

Q

: How do you look at Chilima’s promises to expose more corruption in DPP, abolish quota system and his challenge to DPP that it will not rig the 2019 elections?

A

: I think by stating that he would expose more corruption in DPP, the Vice-President may be indirectly communicating that he has already started raising the alarm on the embarrassing levels of Executive thieving and corruption in the country. For example, a few months ago we saw him calling for the removal of immunity of the President which gives our leaders the licence to abuse resources. While the country was in the midst of debate on the matter, the nation was greeted with a leaked report of the ‘Police Foodgate’ in which the President is implicated for allegedly benefiting from K145 million in this dubious contract.  Being an insider, someone exposed to the government system, the Vice-President may be in a better position to expose corruption as compared to MCP. Certainly, we should brace for more as we approach the elections.

Q

: What about the promise to challenge the governing party  not to rig next year’s elections?

A

: Chilima’s warning to DPP against rigging 2019 elections may give some credence to those who have sold the idea that elections in Malawi are rigged. Already, the opposition MCP thinks the 2014 elections were rigged by the DPP. There have been some perceptions that Chilima was part of this alleged scheme. Such a statement may not reflect well on his moral campus as the movement he is spearheading is embedded on brining transformational leadership to root out corruption. His statement may reignite the debate whether elections in the country are rigged or not.

Q

: Does the inclusion of the former first lady Callista Mutharika, former minister Patricia Kaliati and other former DPP heavyweights add any glory to the cause Chilima and UTM are championing?

A

: Politically, the inclusion of these former DPP top gurus is a plus for UTM in challenging the DPP. Certainly, these will be key in the campaign period as well as their strength in mobilising the masses. However, time will tell as to what extent they can do this. Nevertheless, it must be pointed out that in terms of aligning with the transformative agenda that Chilima may be preaching, these gurus may not add much value as they remain stuck to the old ways of politicking. Listening to the speeches of Kaliati and Callista on Saturday,  you could clearly see that these have nothing tangible to offer to the transformational movement apart from politically venting their anger on their now political foes—DPP. It will be interesting—if Chilima wins in 2019 elections, how he will be able to act on any corrupt or criminal allegations if these former DPP gurus were involved during their time with DPP.

Q

: Do you think UTM and Chilima may dislodge MCP in the race to unseat DPP next year?

A

: I think it is too early to judge.