What do I have to offer Dr Chakwera?
The ‘presidential’ ballot paper for the 2014 Tripartite Elections is now almost complete. As things now stand, President Joyce Banda will be the torch bearer for People’s Party (PP), Peter Mutharika for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Atupele Muluzi for United Democratic Front (UDF) and Lazarus Chakwera for Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Let me hasten to add that until very close to the election itself, we will not know who would be the running mate for each of these candidates.
Before I proceed, I would also like to recognise that there are other political parties whose intentions in next year’s elections will need to be clearly stated. These parties include: Mafunde, PPM, Aford and Maravi People’s Party (MPP). Many of these have never, or are yet to hold conventions, and several of these may not field their own presidential candidates.
There is obvious euphoria in the air now with the almost complete list of credible racers to Kamuzu Palace. The presidential hopefuls will have to engage an extra gear as they now know their competitors.
The aspirants need to convince the voter as to why they should allow them to be president and not their competitors. In this article, I intend to address Chakwera specifically, as the new ‘kid’ on the block. What do I have to offer him?
You will have noticed that I have not wanted to ask Chakwera what he has to offer me. Such a question ends up soliciting less than honest answers, but also just emphasises the power imbalances that exist between us as nationals and our leaders. It is like we have empty heads and we ask of our leaders to give us wisdom and solutions to the problems we face.
There are a number of questions I would want Chakwera to answer. The first one is fundamental, i.e. the fact that Malawi was once ruled by the MCP (1963-1994), what is his understanding of that period to the country? Secondly, how does Chakwera asses the period between 1994 and the present?
The second question I would want to ask the reverend is how he looks at the role of the Church or religion in the affairs of the State. Given the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi and the different Holy Books that exist, which will be his preferred book to guide his presidency in case he won the elections? Should the State be governed using the Bible or the Koran?
My third question to Chakwera relates to how he perceives the other two administrative regions of the country. I believe it was clever of the delegates to choose Chakwera who comes from a region where the MCP is still strong. I am not promoting regionalism, but I am just recognising a fact that political parties do have strongholds in Malawi. However, the question that any leader of a political party must address is: How am I going to accommodate the other regions? In the case of Chakwera, how is he going to relate to the North and the South?
Malawians have always felt cheated by the corruption and the enormous wealth their leaders accumulate when they are in office. Malawians want to know how much a presidential aspirant ‘weighs’ financially-speaking before they enter the State House and how much they weigh when they are there and as they get out.
President Joyce Banda has declared her wealth to the Speaker of the National Assembly, but the Attorney General seems to suggest disclosure of such information is not provided for by the law. What the Attorney General has not stated also is that non-disclosure has also not been provided for in the laws.
My question to Chakwera is this: Are you willing to declare your wealth to the public even though the law is lame?
Finally, I would want to hear from Chakwera how large his Cabinet would be if he were to occupy State House. Will he keep forty-something members or have a lean Cabinet?
—The author is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Malawi, College of Medicine.
