Livingstonia Synod’s Maurice Munthali eyes politics
One of the country’s renowned clerics, the Reverend Maurice Munthali of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Livingstonia Synod, has confirmed his desire to join active politics and contest for Rumphi West parliamentary seat once he retires from active ministry.
To test his political acumen, Munthali on Saturday drummed up support for the opposition Alliance for Democracy (Aford) during a rally party president Enock Chihana held at Rumphi Boma.
During the rally, Munthali opened with a prayer that outlined a number of socio-economic challenges facing the country. He called the government a failure, for “it has failed to find solutions to the suffering of Malawians”.
Later, Munthali made a four-minute speech, which was mostly proverbial although the message was clear.
He likened the Northern Region to a person given the responsibility to rear chickens on someone’s behalf, and that despite doing a good job, he is not given enough when the chickens hatch; meaning despite welcoming political parties from other regions and giving them full support, the north still lags behind on development.
“My friends from the North, I am a pastor speaking heavenly things, but, of course, fused with events of the earthly world. Time for borrowed political parties is gone, don’t give us another chicken to tame on your behalf, we have found our own, a very productive one,” he spoke amid cheers from the crowd.
“All development projects have gone to their region, and we now say, your time is up, it is now our time! You people of the North, your surname now is Aford, let us not admire things that do not belong to us,” he continued while shouting the Aford slogan and jokingly saying he does not do such slogans in church.
In an interview later, Munthali, who is now known for strongly speaking against government, denied joining active politics.
“I haven’t joined politics, far from it. If people heard me pray at an Aford rally it is because I was invited. Concerning the slogans I said today, I said I am responsible for spiritual things, but I am praying at a political meeting, so I was like imitating what they do, but I just came to pray,” he added.
Munthali, however, did not rule out joining active politics one day.
“In 2013, I was retiring from active ministry until the synod added more years to our service. That time when Rumphi West chiefs heard [about my retirement] they came to me and our parents, even Chief Chikulamayembe sent a delegation to the Synod of Livingstonia on the need [for me] to join politics,” he said.
Aford leader Chihana could not be drawn to comment on the presence of Munthali at the rally, especially for giving him a chance to speak to the people.
“Every northerner is an Aford member at heart, and the Reverend Munthali has been a friend of Aford for a very long time,” he said.
Meanwhile, moderator of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia, the Reverend John Gondwe has reiterated that the Synod does not entertain active politics. n
