Prof Thandika Mkandawire advises old age Malawi politicians to pave way for youth
Accomplished scholar and professor of African Development at the London School of Economics, Thandika Mkandawire has advised old aged politicians to ‘sit on the side’ and leave the stage for the young with huge amounts of energy.
He joins a growing number of voices including that of African philanthropist, Mo Ibrahim that advanced age of African leaders is a contributing factor to problems in African.
In Malawi, the first to come out clearly on the issue was former First Lady who is also President Peter Mutharika’s in- law Callista Mutharika last week.
Writing on popular social media site Nyasanet, Professor Mkandawire, an age-mate of President Mutharika having born on October 10, 1940, said he was together with Mutharika during the struggle of independence and democritisation and that counts for more contributions to the country.
“I still can’t figure out why he believes he has the energy and capacity for the incredibly ardours and complex struggle for developing Malawi. The most successful presidents in the last twenty years – the Meles, Kagame have been young with huge amounts of energy,” write Professor Mkandawire.
“In addition, we can’t have a Minister of Finance (Goodall Gondwe) in the 80s. It makes no sense and this is beginning to show in some of the confusion in fiscal policy. And it is a joke among both donors and investors. We the old should sit on the side, doling out our wisdom when demanded,” advised Mkandawire.
“But running a state or economy? NO. That is not fair to a population that is so young and so full of dreams and energy,” offered Mkandawire.
Mutharika will be 80 years old when the country goes to the polls next year and there have been calls that a younger person like Vice President Saulos Chilima should be the ruling DPP candidate at next year’s elections but DPP is adamant that he will stand again next year.
Thandika Mkandawire is Professor of African Development at the London School of Economics (LSE). He was Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development from 1998 to 2009.
A Swedish national of Malawian origin, he is an economist with many years’ experience in the promotion of comparative research on development issues. He was formerly Director of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Development Research in Copenhagen and has taught at the Universities of Stockholm and Zimbabwe.
Professor Mkandawire has published broadly on the social sciences in Africa and on problems of policy-making, adjustment and democratisation.
He has recently served on the executive committees of the International Institute for Labour Studies, the Swedish NGO Fund for Human Rights, the Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP) of the International Social Science Council, Care International, the Steering Committee of the UNU Project on Intellectual History, and the African Gender Institute
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In fact prof Thandika Mkandawire should not ask the “elders” to step aside but rather ask the youth to rise up to the occasion. Indeed these greedy politicians will never let go. They’re too comfortable in their position to quit on their own.
How old are you Prof Mkandawire and to avoid double standards on your part you look like you should have retired long time ago. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Please retire to give chance to younger academics at The London School of Economics. It will be the right thing to do and then after that you will have a clean conscience to preach to others.
That’s stupid idea from you.Read the story very well first and understand the phrases.He worked,what does it mean?
It’s you who doesn’t understand. Prof Mkandawire is still working and not ‘worked’ as you suggest rudely. Dunderhead.
Mbuli ina yaku Mulanje ndi imeneyi kkkkkk. Simple English, this idiot does not understand. Listen you imbecile called Wakwachigaru…you are really from the dogs as your name suggests, worked and working are very different. Just to school you abit, worked is past and working is present. The word used here is” worked”. Eeish, tikamati zipitani ku sukulu, ng’ooooo ntchito utelala nonsense.
Your argument, if there is one, is really idiotic. What are you saying here.? I guess you havent even bothered to Goggke Prof Mkandawire to see that he is still working. I bet you won’t even understand what we mean by working and not worked. And what has Mulanje to do with this. Ineptness of the worst kind. And I know that you will answer again to my post. Zonvetsa chisoni.
Let the professor retire from LSE and other academic endeavours – it’s all about being jealous. He can’t stand seeing a fellow octagonarian working as Finance Minister or president.
Wonderful advice INDEED! BUT they won’t QUIT. FORGET about that! The reason is simple-GREED. They have a huge propensity to STEAL & steal more. An INSATIABLE appetite to LOOT! Look, they create deals, rackets-mafia style, connive with crooks masquerading as businessmen in town. Then share STALKS of monies in FOREX in bedrooms.. Then use FAKE licenses as evidence to exonerate each other in kangaroos courts. Then they HOLD MIDNIGHT BLUE PARTIES MERRY-MAKING. With full-berries they pat each other’s back, wide smiles to the ear-lobes saying”GOOD JOB!” When sobered up, and other well-meaning Malawians EXPOSE the ROT then they roll-up sleeves… Read more »
Prof.Thandika,Iam profoundly grateful that I have seen your face again after we had seen each other in Dar es salaam,Tanzania enroute to Lusaka,Zambia to attend the tragic demise of your young brother morethan 30 years ago.I have gone through your narration about senile political leadership in Malawi.and found it very liable and politically educative to young generations who are our tomorrow leaders.We Malawians,we ought learn from BANDA’S wanton leadership which turned us a loughing stock of the world and political lepers of Africa.He ruled our country up to the age of 100 years eventhough,his age had been corrupted to the… Read more »
This is the same madness that was seen in Zimbabwe with Mugabe raising his hand, to lead ZANU-PF in next year’s elections at the age of 95. What’s wrong with Africa. Aren’t we smart enough to elect young, vibrant and visionaries. How can we a senile running a country of the complexity of Malawi. There’s a reason why civil servants are retired at 65.
Chidude chinechi chingave kuti ni chinkhalamba, chilekeni chifwenge ni BP chaka cha mawa.
Another silly argument which borders on ageism – the stereotyping and discrimination of old people. There is no problem with having Goodall Gondwe as Minister of Finance. Some old people are better skilled than the so-called young people. I am young myself and have seen how useless some young people are. With all respect to Prof. Thandika Mkandawire, concentrate on what you do best in the diaspora. In fact, you should be fighting for the rights of old people to work and a meaningful life.
Prof Thandika is not discriminating against old people…..in fact he is acknowledges the fountain of wisdom they posses. Of course old people may be more skilled and wiser but that doesn’t take away the fact they may not be as agile and energetic as the young. It is for this reason that the retirement age is set at 65.
Its a pity a man like u dont get what the professor saying. I think the reason u dont understand why old leaders are not good is because professor Mkandawire is a diaspora Malawians. I have seen that Malawians living within the country dont like diasporas. Or are jealous of diasporas or see diasporas as a threate. But they are wrong. Prof. Mkandawire is just like prof. Muntharika. He came to Malawi because of his brother otherwise he was going to be a diaspora if his brother was not given a chance by Muluzi. Malawians are so negative on things… Read more »
That’s total madness again from you,your mind is so shallow in thinking
Absolutely agree with the Professor. These aged politicians are in it for themselves, not for he benefit of the country and for what they can contribute to its development. They need to retire and let younger people (male or female) with energy and drive take overt and move the country forward. As long as these old men are in charge things will never improve and the country will remain static and even regress.
OOO OOOH GOD PLEASE REMOVE THE SCALES OF BLINDNESS FROM THE EYES OF MY FELLOW MALAWIANS SO THAT WE CAN SEE THAT BUSHIRI IS THE ANSWER TO OUR HARDSHIPS THE COUNTRY IS FACING OTHERWISE WE WILL REGRET LIKE NEVER BEFORE IN HUMAN HISTORY
PLEASE PAC CHIEFS CHURCH LEADERS INVITE BUSHIRI TO COME AND GOVERN THE COUNTRY AS WAS THE CAUSE WITH KAMUZU
THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN IS NOW
MAY GOD BLESS OUR LAND
Why some Malawians see Bushiri as the answer to their problems? Who is Bushiri? A pastor who preached words of God and collected money from worshipers now rich and talks business. Do u think such a person will save u?
If you can go deeper with his dealings you may end up discovering that he is just hiding in church by pretending to be pastor.Remember what the bible says about the last days
Who is Bushiri?Bushiri is so greed and he is also living a show off life also.We want someone who is humble.Besides,we don’t want satanism and drug trans route in our country