Timau: Head of State caught offside in Mulhakho teritory
These are the things the next President of Malawu will scrap off immediately he or she steps into office. They are causing pandemonium. Quota system, splinter groups and the list goes on.
A bitter feud has erupted over President ’Ngwazi’ Dr Bingu wa Mutharika’s decision to follow a tribal grouping. People are at loggerheads after the President declared that he sees nothing wrong in being patron of mulhakho wa a lomwe, a partisan group which is bound to create gaps in Malawi as far as unity is concerned.
The President’s choice has left political experts really wambly and to add salt in the wound, Dr Heatherwick Ntaba, former chief political advisor to the President, issued a red card to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) director of politics, Harry Mkandawire. His offence? He questioned the Presidents preference to the quota system and his involvement with the unpopular tribal grouping.
We, the Timau Crew are in awe as to why Ntaba did not show the President a card for his crude tackle on conflict of interest. In football, this was an offence punishable by a red card and a one match ban.
In case of Malawi, the Ngwazi could have missed the crucial game against Burkina Faso. Fortunately for us it is only politics the dirty game. The President’s confession over the factional group is as cynical as the group itself.
“Am surprised as to why I should not exercise my right to be part of this organization,” said Wa Mutharika. So, we are surprised too your Excellency, why the whole Head of State should sit down with Lomwes only.
“I was a Lomwe before becoming President of this country and I will always be after descending from the seat of presidency,” said Bingu. We say, that is the more reason why our leader should have waited until 2014 to start speaking lomwe again, as a leader he belongs to all the tribes of Malawi.
“I would like to tell all jealousy people not to dare stopping us because we will not be moved.” In actual fact Mr President, these people are not jealousy but simply telling you the truth, this is an easy way of causing tribalism in a country.
In all fairness, we are just being polite to the head of state in using sober language; this grouping is utterly a waste of time and irrational. It adds no value to our nation. It does not complete the value chain.
The Ngwazi has deliberately chosen to ignore the word conflict of interest and has coiled some very appetising words to convince us that his action is innocent. We refuse to be converted into partisan politics. We surely see something wrong with the President’s choice of interest.
Former leader, Ngwazi Dr. H Kamuzu Banda instilled in Malawians one thing, unity. He several times reiterated that in Malawi there is no Lomwe, Sena, Yao, Chewa or Tumbuka and he emphasised the fact that we are all Malawians.
Now, Bingu is telling us to relinquish our Malawian jersey and be identified by our clubs-offside. A conflict of interest (COI) occurs when an individual or organisation is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other.
The occupations where a conflict of interest is most likely to be encountered or discovered include: politician, policeman, lawyer, insurance adjuster, engineer, corporation, medical research scientist, physician, writer, or editor. In short, any entrusted individual or organisation.
In the legal profession, the duty of loyalty owed to a client prohibits an attorney (or a law firm) from representing any other party with interests adverse to those of a current client. The few exceptions to this rule require informed written consent from all affected clients. In some circumstances, a conflict of interest can never be waived by a client. In perhaps the most common example encountered by the general public, the same firm should not represent both parties in a divorce or child custody case.
Is the Presidents decision not robbing our nation of the magic words; ife tonse ndi aMalawi (we are all Malawians) as Kamuzu made us to believe and indeed we loved it that way.
Is the President on track in unifying Malawians with his Mulhakho wa aLommwe? If anyone needed proof that politics is a mind game and economics has its playing field then Bingu has proved it. Malawi is subdivided into different tribal groups and it is because of this that the country needs a leader who has strength, a conciliator, negotiator, energiser and optimists, we want a leader who is a commited Malawian, capable of expressing the words: one Malawi one nation. Bingu is not far from it but there is still room for improvement.
It is curious that when Harry Mkandawire questions about Mulhakho, Ntaba finds him guilty and ask him to dig his own grave so that DPP should distance itself from his political suicide-honorably resign from our party, said Ntaba to Mkandawire.
In this pub, and the one across, they have all debated on this issue, there conclusion is as good as ours but perhaps the ones throwing stones at us are the ones drinking at Luchenza, Nkhonya, Chitakale or those waiting for treatment at Mulanje mission hospital or indeed those travelling to Minimini tea estate for they have all been attacked by the Mulhakho wa a lomwe virus-and we care very
little.
