Mutharika should not taunt Malawians with ‘DPP won the elections’ rhetoric
Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king.1 Samuel 15:23b
Malawi this month commemorated 55 years of independence. During these years, there have been serious ups and downs that have threatened the republic. During 31 years prior to democratic rule, there were seldom uprisings because they were thwarted even before they sprung up. However, the picture started changing in the few years before the country embraced multiparty democracy.
It is important that when such revolts occur, the leader responds in a manner that answers the concerns of the protesters as well as keep the country united.
Because the leader holds a national and not a party position, the response must be done without regard to one’s political party, especially when these are of national concern. Highlighted in this article are few cases that show the ways in which Presidents responded to people’s concerns.
In the run-up to the 1993 Referendum, there were two revolts, namely the industrial dispute and the Catholic Bishops 1992 Pastoral Letter. Both these revolts prompted then president Dr. Kamuzu Banda to respond.
In the industrial revolt, the workers spilled into the streets and indiscriminately harassed any woman because Kamuzu’s mbumba at the time sung against any sort of uprising. The protesters held all women responsible for the low wages they were earning at the workplace.
In response to this outburst and open harassment and intimidation of women, Kamuzu summoned MBC to Sanjika Palace and addressed the strikers, asking them to get back to work.
The next day, workers returned to work and life returned to normal.
Following the Pastoral Letter, President Kamuzu Banda, who had met the Bishops a few days earlier, accepted the call by Malawians to consider multiparty through a referendum which was held on June 14 1993.
Kamuzu continued to speak to Malawians. In 1993, he announced that multiparty democracy proponents had won and in 1994 Kamuzu conceded defeat to Bakili Muluzi.
In the middle of his second term, former president Bakili Muluzi flirted with the idea of changing the Constitution to allow him to run for a third term. The people of Malawi vehemently opposed this through demonstrations and the bid was defeated in Parliamentary. Muluzi spoke to Malawians, accepting the defeat and hand-picked his successor Bingu wa Mutharika.
Bingu, however, soon spoke out when in February 2005, he resigned from the United Democratic Front (UDF), the party that ushered him to the presidency, and formed his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Fast forward to May 21 2019, Malawians, through the ballot, spoke. However, amid evidence of white altering fluid on many tally sheets, it is alleged that the Malawi Electoral Commission was pressured by the DPP to declare President Mutharika the winner in the elections.
From the day of the announcement (May 28 2019) to July 5 2019, Malawians have poured onto the streets in protest of the election result. Malawians have been speaking and loudly chanting.
Within hours of the announcements, the President was sworn in, parliamentarians sworn in. The President for unexplained reason, has for the past week resided at the Chikoko Bay Residence and Sanjika Palace. His recorded message to protesting Malawians one evening was (sic) “You can protest until you get tired.” This is as if President Mutharika is saying, “I’m going to sit here phwiii, whether you like it or not; you’ll get tired, I don’t care.”
Mr President, this is what taxpayers expect of you:
1. Taxpayers are your employers (their taxes pay you, your ministers, the parliamentarians, the police, the army and other civil servants);
2. Taxpayers deserve (being your paymasters and mistresses) your respect;
3. Taxpayers are looking for justice, and they expect to get justice (this is a constitutional right);
4. Taxpayers are not your fools, so don’t treat them like wild or rabid animals by sending the police to indiscriminately throw tear gas at them or burn their properties;
5. Taxpayers, irrespective of political party affiliation, expect you to listen to them, understand their grievances, and address them without fear or favour, but most importantly without favouritism.
Mr. President, please speak to the Malawians wisely. You should not taunt Malawians with “the DPP won the elections” rhetoric.
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All these politicians are cut of the same cloth.
With APM it’s ‘DPP won the elections’ ‘tough luck’
With MCP it’s ‘DPP stole our victory’
This was actually in a press statement released by MCP.
‘Our victory’.
Regardless who won, the victory doesn’t ‘belong’ to any party or tribe.
This is not a football match. It is, or supposed to be, democracy. The voters choose the ‘victors’
As the writer has said in this article; We are the employers and bosses of these politicians.
Hard-put taxpayers pay their salaries.
The poor family man earning 100,000 or less to feed his family pays somewhere around 20,000 in PAYE tax. If he spends even at least 70,000 on house rent and essential food and utility bills he pays at around 15,000 in VAT.
Already we have paid 30% of our income to pay these fat-cat politicians.
Not including duties. If we include excise/duties on most of the imported items, 50% or more of our income is going to government.
Most of these taxes are spent on salaries and allowances. Around 60% of the recurring expenditure government budget is salaries.
And then these same politicians and police and civil servants want to act like they are ‘big men’.
The politicians fleece our pockets whilst deluding us with ridiculous mirages of ‘Malawi will be like Singapore’.
They stand at police road blocks or Immigration or DC offices demanding petty bribes for every small offence or job that we as poor tax-payers have to suffer.
Pride comes before the fall.
Aunty Janet please slow down, I know things are tight and the only time you make money is when we call you to castrate our dogs balls! But how many dogs does 1 keep to keep cutting. My advise to you on how to make cash,,, vaccinate all MCP supporters for rabies and the big bucks will be from castrating Chakwera/Mtambo and Saulos balls!!!! Now you in business.
The metaphor rough for your human beings. God bless you.
Janet Karim,, very impressed with ur article. Just a question: cant there be a way to further publish such articles in media and language that can reach many? You know these people take pride of and hide behind poor, majority illiterate that hno access to nyasatimes. Why not translating the same and book 5 or 10 minutes slots on radio stations?
Noted with thanks
You have used the word of God in vain. Kulibwino kungonena kuti simukumufuna Mutharika. Inu Mulungu anakuuzani kuti wamukana Peter ? Olembanso nkhani mwasanduka aneneri.? Shame. Nyasatimes yaphweka ndi mbwelera zimene zikupeza mpata woika nyansi za ndemanga. Ma tax payers ake ukuwanena iwewo ndiye ndani? Osatiika mau mkamwa ife. Uzinena kuti a MCP ndi UTM osati tax payers. Ubwelerenso ku school ukaphunzire udziwe kulemba mwaluso.
Watch the crowds is all that can be said here.
Is this the same Janet the vet?? Janet I think you are due for you rabies vaccination and your stupid husband too. You think we don’t know you are PRO MCP!! And where will it get you useless people? No where, just stick to injection animals!!
Wrong Karim. My husband passed 16 years back. God bless you.
JANET ARE YOU STILL AROUND??? THE LAST TIME WE MET WAS WHEN WE LAST MADE LOVE, WHATS YOUR NUMBER? WE CAN MEET AFTER YOU WRITE ANOTHER ARTICLE.
May Jehovah God rebuke you and your lies, in Jesus name.
Who is this Janet Karin who gives ungodly counsel? One thing she should know is that the heart of the king is in the hand of God. He tosses the dice and point the area he wants. His will is not the will of man and no man can stand on his way. The LORD of Hosts has chosen Mutharika, if we fight the will of God, the nation will mourn. Let that which has the Spirit of God anointed be respected. For God appoint and anoint. Envy and evil works will be put to shame.
Stop cherry-picking scripture. The same God you talk of rejected Saul when he sinned against God.
More than 62 % of Malawians know that APM and DPP have miserably failed to run the country. Janet’s article is brilliant and anyone with negative views must be nothing else but a beneficiary of looting, nepotism, corruption and everything that is bad governance.
Ndiye press for 50+1in parliament
Osati kukaphwanya nyumba za anthu
Kodi anawina ndani?
Tiuzeni odziwanu
A chakwera kapena a chilima
Nanga mavoti awo ndi angati
A mcp anali ndi tally centre yao
Akuibisiranji
Angoti atabera ma voti osachula angati
It beats me to hear people continue complaining about the elections results even before the courts where they presented their complaints has given a judgement. Should Mutharika step down because a few dissatisfied people are not happy with the truth? Is Chakwera, Chilima and Mtambo asking for Ansah’s resignation, Mutharika’s or what? If they continue moving the goal-posts one wonders what exactly they are looking for in life.
Initially, Chilima concocted a plan using Calista to say “Alamu mwakalamba musaimenso” – thinking Chilima would have an easy go by assuming leadership on a silver platter. After the plans flopped they thought to get to plot number 1 could as well be accomplished through the backdoor. Unfortunately, times when such things could be accepted are since gone. We will therefore hear this unpleasant noise for sometime to come. With m’busa Chakwera, his is not strange. MCP has in its blood the habit of not accepting results of an election. Even if it meant that they were told that they won, they will still find a bone to pick. Just don’t mind them; actually to keep themselves busy till the next election, they will be carrying out these so called long marches within the towns in the country and in the process provide free entertainment by their occult nyau dances. Enjoy their courtesy upto 2024 Wooooo!!
while i agree with the writer, but he should also understand that the issue is in court. Let us leave the court to do its work. Mind u democracy has principles ans systems that are used to resolve conflicts. as for now we dont know what happened and only the court has the mandate to tell us what happened and the wayforwad. however, dialogue is also anather form, however it depends on the commitments of both sides of the conmflict. i wish this nation all the best so that we continue to live once again as brother and sisters. this is our home
AUNT JANET MWALEMBA ZA NZERU AND POLOFESHONOLO ..KEALEBOGA
PETER HAS A MENTA ILLNESS THAT HE DOESNT LISTEN AT ALL. ALL HIS EARS ARE CLOSED WITH CORRUPTION
Thanks madam. This is also a ‘good read’. I read while sipping my Banja tea. Life could never be so beautiful!
What the Author has written is common sense , unfortunatley common sense is not that common in the blue camp! This will see this as an attack on their party, as can be seen from the comments from the Cadets on this forum. Anyway, ma cadet samamva thats why the Army is kicking them to drive some sense into their heads!! DPP is a very young party with a leader who was not here when we fought Kamuzu! Malawians are not fools, we know when we have been short changed and once we rise,no amount of police brutality can stop us.
Do you think he has ear to listen this Mshona?
We don’t have president in Malawi now bcoz the one in charge now is also a Cadet , he lacks leadership in him.
This man called president is also another puppet of Mchacha and Dausi, he can’t take decision or decide for himself till he ask corrupt Uladi Mussa and Dausi to have their say including his wife .
So do you expect anything tangible from corrupt individuals to make our country progress when you have the likes of Ben Phiri with Fake degrees as Minister and Mchacha a mere Cadet with no school as a Deputy minister.
No country can progress with such attitude.
Janet karim the original stupid big bitch
And it is the protesters who are ‘biased’ and sexist against Jane Ansah.
This is the clearest example of ‘pro-DPP’ gender sexism.
Mostly a red herring at the end of the day.
The writer of this article has missed the point. One of my arguments is kodi tippex anagwiritsidwa ntchito pa zisankho za presidents pokha pa za mp ndi ma khansala ayi? From the look of things, this issue of saying mutharika should resign because the elections were tippexed is wrong. If you are holding on to this, let mps and councillors go too because they also won the elections that were purportedly tippexed. Otherwise, what am suspecting is that since we have an executive system of govt, chakwera and chilima camps want kuti atalamulira basi. Ndiye auponda. Mutharika won and should never resign. Jane ansah dont resign. Chakwera and chilima are fools. They just want to spoil the pudding by stepping in it with dirty jombos.
You are entitled to your opinion and observation. I am happy that my grand daughter brought me chombe tea and green bananas for breakfast this morning. Keep antagonizing over the technicalities of the election. I am enjoying my tea. Thank you.
Kikkkkk nkhuku za kummwera kunsava English, can you if possible read again what this article is saying please!midyomba inu. Hahahahahahahaha haha koma ndaseka.
Zotsatila zazisankho kumadela aaphungu komanso makhansala, zimadziwika komweko powerenga mabaloti aja imodzi imodzi mamonita akuona.Choncho zotsatila amazidziwa nthawi yomweyo zisanapite ku Main Tally centre komwe angathe kugwiritsa Tippex koma Tippex sakanagwiritsa posintha zotsatila Za-aphungu kapena Makhansala Bcoz Cholinga chawo kunali kuthandiza President Ndipo kutengera zomwe a MCP anapeza, akunenetsa kuti anawina poti nawonso amaphatikizira zotsatila zomwe amalandira kuchokera kwa mamonitasi awo.Eeetu madhala
You are lying Charles. Why did some polling officers at voting centres took tally sheets to their homes? Why is it that, later on, some were found to have had their figures altered with tippex? Why is it that no one at such voting centres signed for such alterations? Why? And why is MEC now looking for polling staff or whoever to sign for the tally sheets after court proceedings, yet the final results of the elections were allegedly announced?
But you want MCP to taut they never lost rhetoric. What can of thinking is that?