Uladi: Malawi lawmaker through the backdoor, now PP’s attack dog
As the next year’s presidential and parliamentary campaign is heating up, so is the political rhetoric and mudslinging.
Ruling People’s Party (PP) government isn’t leaving any stone unturned and is viciously attacking the opposition leadership particularly Peter Muntharika of DPP and Atupele Muluzi of UDF to secure another term in office. This isn’t uncommon in any politically charged atmosphere like ours, but what is disturbing though is the manner and extent to which our politicians have reached in lying and distorting facts about issues and their opponents’ characters just to get elected.
Sadly enough these kinds of attacks are effective, especially where the illiteracy rate among the population is high because any information they get repeatedly is hardly digested with scrutiny. In the past weeks or so Uladi Mussa has been in the forefront in campaigning on behalf of the president. I don’t mind that at all, however it’s the contents of his message that I find amusing. He is now effectively the Joyce Banda’s attack dog. He is someone acting on behalf of the leadership in spewing the most vicious attacks, whether true or not on to their opponents, without having to allude the same as sanctioned by the party or its leadership. Mussa’s recent remarks are about that.
In his remarks, Mussa challenged Hon. Atupele Muluzi to produce original birth certificate that will prove that the latter is of age to run as president as required by the constitution. Firstly, Mussa is the last person to talk and cite the constitution, because he hasn’t himself abide by it. Mussa is a defacto illegal member of parliament right now since he crossed the floor by defecting to the PP government. The constitution is very explicit on that including other provisions such as “asset declarations” by the president and cabinet which none have done so far since assuming office.
These provisions are paramount to our sustenance of democracy as the latter prevents wanton enrichment of politicians from the government coffers to which they’re supposed to be the custodians on behalf of the country. The former is important in prohibiting the ruling government from overrunning and undermining the parliamentary affairs as an equal arm of the government by poaching oppositions members of parliament at will to create an imaginary majority voting block for their benefit. Mussa is clearly a hypocrite in quoting the constitution, to say the least, when it’s not warranted.
To me, Mussa’s accusation seems to indicate that he knows Atupele, probably more than I am willing to admit. I mean matters of births are better known by parents, and for Mussa to declare such a scathing challenge, was he part of the inner circle of Muluzi’s family when Atupele was born? What is it that he can remember vividly about Atupele’s birth that will prove his truthful age? Frankly, Mussa is speaking as if he is the father of Atupele.
In Malawi, our births certificate are produced randomly and at will. I thought Mussa is the home affairs minister, and ought to know how easy it’s been to forge our passport because it’s equally easy to produce a birth certificate from the Registrar Generals’ office. I’ve had more than two birth certificates originating from the government offices. I mean, once one is misplaced, one goes and gets another without breaking any law. The point being our system doesn’t provide for a centralised data base for certificates at the time of birth, and therefore any form of paper that is applied from the registrar general’s office is deemed original as long as it has its seal.
Mussa’s argument is therefore misplaced about Atupele’s birth certificate, unless he knows more than we do.
Mussa further disqualified Peter Mutharika for being unmarried as a presidential candidate but failed to stipulate the constitution provision barring the same.
I am inclined to believe Mussa is kept in the cabinet as an attack dog, other than that I don’t understand why he is still there and why he was picked in the first place. Here is a home affairs minister who goes on claiming to know that the opposition is responsible for armed robbery and lawlessness in the country and yet he can’t enforce the law to arrest the so called criminals. Here is a home affairs minister telling the nation that Lake Malawi may be part of Mozambique and not Tanzania as claimed. He is supposed to protect the people and the country and has failed miserably on both fronts, at least by his statements and actions.
It’s critical that our politicians live up to expectation. They are expected to behave and act in certain order befitting the public office they uphold. Unfortunately what we are getting and sadly embracing is destroying and undermining our fragile political system. Shame on Mussa, shame on the people!
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