Like a Resting Lion, Mumba Watches as Government Stumbles

Like a lion lying low in the tall grass — silent, observant, and deliberate — independent Member of Parliament for Mzimba Central, Hon. Eng. Vitumbiko A.Z. Mumba, emerged from police custody this week not with a roar, but with a warning.

Speaking after a Lilongwe court granted him bail, Mumba struck a tone of restraint rather than confrontation, thanking a broad coalition of supporters who stood by him during his detention, including church leaders from Nkhoma and Livingstonia Synods, pastors from various denominations, fellow MPs from both the independent bloc and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), alumni associations, and senior political figures such as former Vice President Rt Hon. Khumbo Kachali.

Mumba said the show of solidarity — some supporters travelling from as far as the North — reaffirmed his faith in the country’s democratic institutions, particularly the judiciary.

“I believe in our judiciary and I will respect the outcome of this process,” he said.

But beneath the calm exterior lay sharp political claws.

Mumba reminded the nation that he remains on a self-imposed 90-day political hiatus — a silence he now intends to extend by another 90 days. He framed the decision not as retreat, but as restraint, arguing that premature commentary from either himself or President Lazarus Chakwera could be misread as sour grapes following electoral contests.

Yet, he did not spare the new administration from criticism.

According to Mumba, the clearest sign that government has “not yet found its feet” lies in its confused economic posture. He said the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) campaigned on a welfare-based economic vision, yet is now presiding over what amounts to an austerity regime — a contradiction he warned could prove fatal to economic recovery.

“They presented an austerity budget, yet within it are scattered freebies,” Mumba observed, describing the fiscal approach as incoherent and directionless.

He warned that such mixed signals undermine confidence among development partners and donors, who, he said, cannot support a welfare agenda that lacks fiscal discipline and strategic clarity.

In his view, the absence of a clear economic direction makes it premature for opposition figures to offer guidance — advice, he said, would be wasted on a government still struggling to stabilise itself.

“Let the DPP first find their feet,” he said. “Then we can start offering constructive guidance.”

Mumba concluded with a metaphor that has since echoed across political circles, borrowing from reggae legend Bunny Wailer’s song The Conquerer:

“When a lion is resting, never you try to wake him.”

In Malawi’s volatile political jungle, the message was unmistakable: silence should not be mistaken for weakness — and restraint should not be confused with surrender.

For now, the lion watches. And waits.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :