APM playing with the lion’s tail
To be in charge of a reprehensible party such as the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] and more so to rule on their ticket comes with downsides, many of them bordering on delinquency and eerie craftsmanship.
One might not even know one Vice-President who once served Malawi, struggling to call him as a former or just a by-product of a botched election—Everton Chimulirenji—the DPP mafia could make him sign documents given how his intellect was under-estimated. With DPP, one has to be careful, they are callous.
We digressed, Arthur Peter Mutharka’s involvement in the K5 billion cement importation scandal via his Tax Identification Pin Number [TPIN] could be an outright mere allegation and innocent or the man behind its usage, an architect of abuse of office. This will be the job of the courts to determine.
Learning from dogs
When a dog is extremely excited, especially the person who holds title deeds for the ownership of the pooch appears home from work or business the dog wags its tail. Actually, dogs wag their tails faster when food is about to be served. Fast wagging generally indicates positive feelings, while a slow wag might mean a dog is feeling cautious or unsure. APM’s tail wagging seems slow at the hearing of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) intentions.
This week ACB has indicated its backtracking on the vastly touted interview with APM on the alleged abuse of his duty-free benefits, after he opted to remain silent.
Yes, the law provides that no one should be intimidated into speaking when they do not wish to do so—be it at a point of arrest or during interrogation, and officers always read out this right so that the accused understands attainable rights in a democracy.
In choosing between exercising the right to remain silent and answering questions, one has to be careful.
One way of looking at it is that ACB wants to ask APM questions because there is something they are yet to know. They want to use that opportunity to gather more information from APM, so remaining silent helps APM, and ACB will get nothing. One of the most significant advantages of using this right to remain silent is that it prevents one from self-incrimination.
Fear of self-incrimination is being wary of one’s words coming back to incriminate you. Maybe a harmless mortal will gladly speak to clear himself or herself. APM is innocent until proven guilty, but the merry-go-round he is causing over this matter is interesting.
By the way, APM already spoke through a press statement that he was unaware of the usage of his TPIN and, earlier, his spokesperson defended the importation of cement that it was within the benefits of a sitting President. In wild and worldly dreams, a TPIN is very intimate to the owner and this might just end up in the laps of intimate ones.
Back to the real issues, ACB director general (DG) Martha Chizuma says the bureau was now pursuing other legal means that would make the former president provide his side of the story.
Now, this is scary. Is APM not playing with the lion’s tail?
The former president has been exercising his right to remain silent, now ACB is using other legal means, which are already in process. One day, with this, the country can wake up with all the courtesy ACB is rendering to APM as former president castrated, and in the cooler. ACB has done it before with other souls and this can happen to the DPP czar, who is around 80, more or less.
The planned ACB interview is what APM calls a political witch-hunt, but could also be seen as an opportunity to exonerate himself out of the matter. Remaining silent by a former president on an issue of abuse of office will make an interesting read in future as the case matures.
Godot, the country waits with bated breath for APM to face justice but this should now be extended to all cronies. They have innocence to prove for the many suspected wrongs. The net must close in—Norman Chisale and Collins Magalasi could have just been ponies in a greater game of chess.
We waited for long Godot, the DPP Shakespearean play has real actors, while extras or those who played non-consequential roles have a word or two to say and now answering to crimes time is now nigh for Oreochromis lidole, sorry meant Chambo fish in non-scientific terms.
On ACB alone, APM is playing with the lion’s tail.
Godot, the wait has been long!
