Analysts give mixed feelings on Chilima’s BBC HardTalk

Analysts have expressed mixed feelings on how Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who featured as a guest on Thursday in one of BBC’s highly-rated programmes, HARDtalk, handled the interview.

Zainab Badawi and Malawi VP Chilima on BBC after Hard Talk

A political commentator, Henry Chingaipe commenting in the Weekend Nation on how Chilima handled the interview, said he was a little casual or not well-prepared, arguing it was not clear whether he had a clear and specific message he wanted to communicate, but one got the impression that he went in just to answer the questions and did not fully anticipate the kind of questions that were in the offing.

On the host’s question where she pressed Chilima on his decision to remain in an administration he is accusing of corruption, Chingaipe said that was an obvious question from any interviewer because one sees a dilemma for the Vice-President and the inability to balance pecuniary interests, legality and personal integrity and political ambition.

Chilima justified his continued drawing of a salary that he was still going to his office, giving counsel to various citizens that seek it, among other roles.

On whether the BBC interview helped or hurt Chilima or whether he grabbed or missed the opportunity to promote his United Transformation Movement (UTM), political communications expert Wisdom Chimgwede said the Vice-President grabbed the opportunity well in the context of the audience he addressed.

“The strength he displayed is the consistency. He, basically, replayed the same script he has used throughout his rallies, press conferences and such other forums since June. But whether that helps his political agenda back home in Malawi, I doubt. The audience he addressed has no direct impact in influencing the much-needed vote.

“In any event, speaking to the international community has really never helped earn anyone the vote in Africa. Examples are plenty, including Zimbabwe and Zambia, nearby,” he said as quoted by Weekend Nation.

Jimmy Kainja, a lecturer at Chancellor College’s Department of Media, Communication and Cultural Studies, said the BBC HARDtalk host and Chilima come from two different backgrounds, with different cultures.

He said people in the UK would expect someone who has disagreed with an administration to quit. He said Badawi displayed accountability journalism by making Chilima account for promises made.

Chilima left for the United Kingdom last Sunday on holiday and is expected back tomorrow. Among other activities, he spoke at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chathan House in London.

He is set to challenge Mutharika for presidency on a UTM ticket. However, the movement is struggling to register as a political party after the Registrar of Political Parties rejected their application. The matter is in court.

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Nkhata-Bay
Nkhata-Bay
5 years ago

Nsanje in u DPP. If Chilima is a dunderhead then what is APM?

oMachemba
oMachemba
5 years ago
Reply to  Nkhata-Bay

Answer: APM ndi Professor Emeritus. Nde inu mukuti chani?

Nambewe
Nambewe
5 years ago

You obviously don’t watch hard talk. You obviously don’t understand the concept of it. You obviously don’t understand how Chilima went on International stage and refuse to call Malawi as that ‘helpless state ‘and ‘a helpless people’. He stood up and maintained our dignity. He refused to put down our APM and former leaders. He accepted corruption exists and proposed an alternative way of dealing with it. The question on why he still works was beautifully handled. Their aim was to make Chilima slate Malawi as the most corrupt and beyond helpless and that Chilima shouldn’t work in the govt… Read more »

ndele
ndele
5 years ago

ambili tikuyesesa kumanga mmaso an malawi kuti asavomereze cilungamo. ose oziwa kulemba cizungu alemba ma comments ao, zkomo. kodi munaleklanji kulemba cizungu canuci muja PITALA naye anakwidzingidwa ndi mafuso ndi Zainabu mpaka kumacita kuona kuti neck tie imasunthidwa sunthidwa kuva kuthina. and was unsetttled in his seat -THE HEAT WAS ON. MUNALEPHERA KUNENAPO KANTHU CIFUKWA MUNACITA MANYAZI NDI NDOWE zinkanena ija we still have the clip bashopo tifananitse tiicite post? cilima apa, pitala apa mucitaso fwefwe??? citani manyazi .musasokoneze anthu.tisiyeni tisankhe ndi kufuna kukonda kwathu. musaculuke nazo zelu. si cilima yekha angayendetse dziko, nzofunika tosefe kapena wina aliyese wacilungamo cofuna… Read more »

BigMan
BigMan
5 years ago

The problem with Malawians is you have no sense of pride and are so naturally quick to praise foreigners. The questions that were asked on Hardtalk are no different to those asked by Brian Banda or even Gospel Kazako, the answers given by SKC are also not very different. Koma as usual, the brainwashing of Kamuzu for us to be praise singers for all things foreign leads us to jump to the conclusion that Zainab destroyed SKC during the interview. It feeds into our inferiority complex narrative and makes us put the foreign on a pedestal whilst we rejoice in… Read more »

oMachemba
oMachemba
5 years ago
Reply to  BigMan

To be sure, I agree with you that MCP, Kamuzu’s version anyway, messed up. Even when we were in university, were not there to think, but to memorize, and pray that the guy lives long – which he did. (Why do evil people live so long … I hate it). But Malawi is now populated, in the main, by “born frees”, so they can pretty well judge Chilima’s performance. And, I must admit, it was not one event for him to write home about.

Sikusinja
Sikusinja
5 years ago

The Malawi media can not even ask this guy that with the background DPP had, why did he join them. He talks about shared visions. We all knew in 2014 that DPP is about corruption and self enrichment and killing and threatening opposition and CSOs with pangas. Yet of all parties he said these are the people I can belong to. That’s who SKC is. He helped these people get in power so that he too can benefit. He himself resigned from Airtel before his contract was over to pursue being VP yet he says he can’t resign here because… Read more »

BigMan
BigMan
5 years ago
Reply to  Sikusinja

Tell us which party with a clean record he was supposed to join. MCP have a history of local and international murder and assassinations, brutality to the point of feeding people to crocodiles, confisticating businesses from detaining successful productive Malawians. UDF gave birth to DPP and its cadets, etc….. So tell us again, who was SKC meant to join?

oMachemba
oMachemba
5 years ago
Reply to  BigMan

Then Chilima should have formed his own Party at that time, instead of joining any of the sinners or evil Parties.

Shitholes Diarrhoea Progressive Party

Every point first and foremost. No second and third. Mwachepa nazo.

matela
matela
5 years ago

Had it been chilima alibe mfundo mukuoperanji kulemba movement yake

Pumbwa Mwana
Pumbwa Mwana
5 years ago

Chilimq failed like the way he failed ZBC debates in 2014 for Running mates

Resto
Resto
5 years ago

First and foremost. First and foremost. First and foremost. You should have expected similar questions you idiot. You answered your own shit to everything you were asked. You just shine for the less educated in Malawi, but for the genuinely educated, sorry my friend u were just an average Joe. Not worthy of running a country. Just send your cv’s now to various telecommunication company s outside Malawi coz u ain’t making president man. Oh and yes as much as it is WRONG, don’t resign coz you will loose out on your former VP perks. That’s the highest you will… Read more »

Keen observer
Keen observer
5 years ago
Reply to  Resto

How many Hard Talk shows have you ever watched & which other leader do you compare? So the journalist is more educated than one Chilima who was once a CEO? Did yourself go past the corridors of Chanco under Kamuzu Banda as a Chancellor? I guess no.

oMachemba
oMachemba
5 years ago
Reply to  Resto

True baasi.

Heavyduty
Heavyduty
5 years ago

I listened to the interview and honestly this boy is a dunderhead. It’s sad that he chose to exposed this daftness to the to the whole world. All Malawian are now laughingstock of the world. People all over the world are wondering how can Malawi allow this dunce to become a VP. Am ashamed indeed. Imagine, Zainab Badawi appeared to know more (and in depth) of Malawi than even him. Sad.

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