Kalindo riding on 2025 campaign wave

It is no longer a secret that politician-cum-comedian Bon Kalindo is not someone to be trusted or taken seriously. Once upon a time Kalindo endeared himself to Malawians. This is when he organised demonstrations across the country against rising cost of living. The former Mulanje South legislator was hailed for voicing out issues that resonated well with many Malawians. At that time, in November 2021 to be precise, the escalating cost of living was precipitated by rising prices of commodities mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kalindo’s stand against the suffering which the rising cost of living was exacting on the people sparked flames of fire across the country. By December 2021, Kalindo had taken his demonstrations movement to Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Mangochi and more marches were slated for other districts. Then something happened. Kalindo abruptly suspended his demonstrations programme and told the nation he was doing so to allow people to celebrate the festive season. He promised to be back before long. How would people celebrate when they are suffering? Anyway, he never returned despite the fact that the rising cost of living has never stopped. Fast forward to late last year, Kalindo was back in the limelight, not to pressure President Lazarus Chakwera to act on the continued rising cost of living, as he had promised a year earlier, but with an ultimatum to him to fire Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Martha Chizuma within seven days. He said if the President failed to do so he would organise demonstrations. Why fire Chizuma? According to Kalindo, an audio where she discussed information about her organisation’s investigations had a criminal element. According to him, Chakwera was allegedly under obligation to fire her for failing to uphold the rule of law as provided for in the Corrupt Practices Act.If there is one enemy all patriotic Malawians need to unite against, that enemy is corruption. And Chizuma has been one of the pillars of fighting the vice.  She is heading the graft-busting body by the will and power of the people who want the country to make progress in the fight against the vice.  President Chakwera appointed her to the position against the will—first of the Parliamentary Appointment Committee (PAC)—who rejected her and secondly, against the will of many who are beneficiaries of corruption. It was not by accident that PAC failed Chizuma when she appeared before it even after she emerged the best candidate out of a field of more than seven candidates. What were PAC members afraid of? When PAC rejected her, the masses threatened to unite and march against the decision. President Chakwera had no choice but to appoint her to the job. The forces we now see against Chizuma are nothing but systemic corruption fighting back. The Zuneith Sattar corruption investigations both in the United Kingdom and Malawi had enmeshed many people in a web. These people fighting back. The audio recorded from Chizuma was one of the plots to find fault with her. Sadly, what has been suffering in all this is the fight against the very vice she was appointed to wage war against. Truth is that Kalindo can jump on anything with a silver lining but which not all who admire him can see. Unlike his counterpart in demonstrations, Sylvester Namiwawa of Cdedi, Kalindo is not consistent, has no pattern and is not straightforward. His demonstrations are self-serving. They are his survival. And people know this very well. They have seen through his blue lies that he is an opportunist to be followed at owner’s risk. People long discovered that he always has a hidden agenda. Check those who graced his demonstrations on Thursday. A majority of them were people who have nothing serious to do. Serious-minded people who know this man very well stopped following him.Truth is that Kalindo is now riding on the rising political campaign wave of the 2025 Tripartite Elections. And the guy is cashing on it big time.