Malawi needs new blood to change political landscape- Chinsinga

The University of Malawi political science professor Blessings Chinsinga says the use of recycled politicians is negatively impacting on the political culture of the country.

Chisinga is reacting to concerns from members of the general public over the hypocrisy of crop of political leaders who have led the country since the end of one party rule in 1994.

Since that time Malawi has been led by three presidents; Bakili Muluzi, the late Bingu wa Mutharika and now Joyce Banda.

However many Malawians say these leaders have been a disappointment especially on issues of upholding the dictates of the Malawi Constitution with all of them violating the constitution at will to fulfil their political ambitions.

Chinsinga: New blood

The latest violation of the constitution  is president Joyce Banda’s appointment of  her vice Khumbo Kachali as the overseer of Malawi Electoral Commission a move which critics says is aimed at giving the ruling People’s Party a chance to rig the 2014 tripartite elections.

Section 76 subsection 4 of the Republican Constitution states that the Electoral Commission shall exercise its powers, functions and duties under this section independent of any direction or interference by other authority or any person.

Speaking on Day Break Malawi program on Capital Radio monitored by Nyasa Times on Wednesday, Chinsinga said the country’s political system does not have the potential to change and this makes sitting presidents get intoxicated with power.

“What happens is that when an individual gets into that office he or she finds a systems and this system doesn’t have the potential to change. In other words, forces for change are weaker than forces steering the status quo. So basically what happens is once ushered into office he or she quickly become intoxicated into the imperatives of the system,” says Chinsinga.

He says the problem is that Malawians haven’t been able to experience a significant turnover of leadership since the transition in the 1994.

“When we became a multi-party system of government the majority of the people who were leaders in the single party system are the ones who assumed the reigns of power. And instead of bringing in a new way of doing things they simply continue with what they were doing in the single political party system.”

Chisinga therefore said there is need to usher in new blood who would help change the country’s political culture.

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