Manganya: Chakwera’s secret weapon?

In appointing Michael Usi as the country’s Vice-President after the tragic loss of Saulosi Chilima, President Lazarus Chakwera has demonstrated a maturity that the beginnings of a transformation are made of.

The question of the Vice-Presidency often emerges from the shadows immediately before general elections. This is when presidential candidates must submit their papers to the Malawi Electoral Commission, a requirement of which is that each aspiring candidate must name a running-mate.

In this period, the choice of vice-presidential candidates becomes a focus of intense speculation and bargaining. I can even remember one contestant who picked his running-mate at a roadside roundabout while on the way to submit his papers. He had no idea who was going to be his running-mate until it suddenly came to him at breakfast. Thank God for sausage and baked beans!

What makes this hoopla even more intriguing is that in Malawi, just as in many countries around the world, the vice-presidency has always had such a bad reputation. In America, for instance, it has been derided for nearly 200 years, especially by those who have held the office. John Adams called it “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived, or his imagination conceived,”  Garner declared, with some feeling, that the job was “hardly worth a pitcher of warm spit.”

The choice of a vice-presidential candidate has traditionally been viewed as having more symbolic than substantive significance. Consequently, the selection has typically been made based on political considerations, be they matters of intraparty import (the desire to propitiate a rival faction) or electoral strategy (the hope of balancing a ticket in an advantageous way).

It is a fact that the appointment of Usi cannot bring any of these perceived advantages that makes Chakwera’s choice powerfully mature. As Sherlock Holmes has always sought to teach us, when you eliminate all the other possibilities, whatever is left, however improbable, must be your answer.

Regardless of the many qualities and abilities that the late Chilima brought to the office, the bottom line was always that he held the office by virtue of his being the leader of the UTM Party. He was a representative of the other block of the Tonse Alliance.

The same cannot really be said about Usi. Reports in the media indicate that his continued presence in UTM may be at risk and there are indications to careful observers that the UTM, as party has not necessarily acknowledged a leadership succession from Chilima to Usi. His (Usi) precarious standing cannot be considered as something of value that Chakwera saw in appointing him because there are no political advantages or any kind of political balancing advantages in the appointment. It must have been made for some other reason.

But we also know that Chakwera appointed Chilima because of professional reasons and for his track -record as a leader and an achiever. These are the very reasons that the President considered and gave us when he justified his appointment as already pointed out—the fact that Chilima was a lot more politically too.

In this regard, the only possibility that remains is that Chakwera has appointed Usi because of professional reasons. He wants a Vice-President who will help him achieve what he, set out to do, which is to develop this country.

I can hear you asking: But how can Usi succeed where the very talented Chilima seemingly failed for three years? After all, was it not Usi himself that admitted that Chilima’s boots are too large for him to fill? This is a good question. Keep reading.

Is Chakwera right in producing Usi from his back pocket as his secret weapon? Does Usi fit this now spotlit bill of Chakwera’s knight in shining armour?

The answer is yes and no.

Yes, because just like the late Chilima, Usi has a track-record of top service delivery and has pristine leadership qualities. While as Chilima earned his spurs in the private commercial sector, Usi earned his credentials in leading a top international non-governmental organisation, winning many awards for top leadership performance. In terms of experience and the ability that a president can need from his vice-president in the huge task of leading the nation, Usi he has as good a person as any well-educated and well-experienced person can be. His crowd-pulling potential as a comedian of some repute in his other life cannot be a bad bonus either!

No because the vice-presidency is not an easy office from which one can influence the direction of the country. Thus, if the President does not take the lead in empowering and including the wisdom and abilities of the Vice-President, then all the positives will be lost and all that will remain will be politicking which does not develop a country.

For Usi to be Chakwera’s secret weapon, and for him to help Chakwera convince those that still doubt his right to the presidency based on their evaluation of his performance, it is crucial that the President should regularly consult the Vice-President and be willing to listen. After all else is said and done, a Vice-President job depends on the President’s commitment to their relationship. Each hour that the president spends in private conference with the Vice-President is an hour not spent with someone else. That is why what the Vice-President can bring to those conversations in the way of knowledge and experience is so important.

As for the newly-appointed Vice-President Usi, my advice is very simple-there are four basic rules for Vce-Presidents to follow to build trust with the President and ensure harmony in the working relationship.

(1)          Never complain to the press. Establish a channel of communication that is open so that if you are unhappy with something you, can speak freely about it to the president rather than complaining to the media or to party officials who then spread rumours.

(2)          Never take credit from the President. The Vice-President must constantly be mindful of who is president and who is not. You are not the President. All credit must go to the President.

(3)          Fall in line. No matter how much the vice-president opposes a presidential decision, he or she must support the final policy. The Vce-President does not have to become a vocal supporter or lobbyist on the particular issue, but must fall in line like any other staffer.

(4)          Share the dirty work without complaining. Though the Vice-President may not like endless travel, for example, a lot of travel comes with the territory. It is part of being a team player.

In the final analysis, although the answer to the question of whether picking Usi will be a moment of triumph or not for President Chakwera depends on himself. If he recognises that it is time to take the Vice-Presidency seriously, as a major resource and asset that must be included and utilised to the full, then Usi will, indeed, be his secret weapon.

But it means that Chakwera will be the first President ever in this country to make a determined effort to find and then utilise talented and seasoned Vice-Presidents who can help to make their administrations more effective, and then empower them to do so. n

*The author is a barrister at Law and a post-graduate researcher at Coventry University’s Centre for Corporate and Financial Integrity in England.