On this one Malawi’s ruling DPP has been beaten hands down

“Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else … Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom.”  —Hermann Hesse, German novelist, poet, and painter

There is a popular political saying in Malawi’s politics that there are no permanent enemies or friends in politics. However, as observed by Randall Terry when one is fooled once, the shame lies on the agent, fooling someone twice, then the shame lies on the fooled. And true to Terry’s thinking, I would say there are always limits to have this adage about permanent enemies or enemies in politics remain true to itself. It would be foolish to turn your enemy into a friend just for the sake of political correctness, even in politics there is more to being enemies or friends.

To be brutally frank and honest, the People’s Party (PP) of our former President Joyce Banda deserves a pat on the back for all of a sudden waking up from its slumber to face reality and decided to be the architect of its destiny. During the party’s meeting of its executive in Lilongwe some grave mistakes in the decisions of the party gurus were made but one thing that the party need to be congratulated it is for the realization that-for whatever good or ill intentions that lie therein-having political intercourse with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is not the best remedy for the party to solve its problems as well as reposition itself for the 2019 tripartite elections.

It seems that the party has just realized that sleeping with the DPP its just as toxic as sleeping with the devil himself. The PP seemed to have realized that it would be all to blame if it would let itself be fooled (again) to go into a political alliance with the DPP as the parties get set for the forthcoming polls.

It seems the PP executive has just remembered the sad developments that characterized the political marriage between late Bingu wa Mutharika and Joyce Banda after they successfully fooled each other into an electoral partnership in 2009 only to realize later that the union was made straight from hell.

And indeed, who in his or her upright frame of mind would want to forget the epitome of that unfortunate union in 2012 when Mutharika suddenly died at the peak of his fighting with the then vice president and the DPP as a party tried to ruthlessly wrestle power from Joyce Banda in a comic style that led to a number of heartless episodes including airlifting Mutharika’s lifeless body to South Africa in a borrowed name and then the ‘mid-night six’ a grouping that tried to work around the country’s laws just to see that Joyce Banda could not take what rightfully belonged to her. And I believe the PP would have showed all its stupidity if it could have pretended to forget all the ‘cashgate’ smear campaign against Joyce Banda, all in the name of riding on the DPP to come back into government.

Initially, I feared that the PP was ready for another show down from the DPP but it seems the party has this time around played it clever, turning down the DPP as a potential suitor in 2019. Honestly, we all thought PP leaders would be all that foolish to accept DPP proposals without raising an eyebrow.

PP executive has sent a clear message to the DPP that it is no longer a party that you could trust and work with without risking your own life. It is apparent that just like all Malawians, the PP has realized that the DPP does not care about anybody or anything but themselves. The party is ready to literary do anything and play all the tricks in the books of politics just to stay in power even if it means killing or murdering innocent people. Unfortunately, reading from comments in different social media platforms, it is clear that in its bizarre way of thinking and that of its cadres including the cadets, DPP sees all political parties as stupid and thought this was a done deal. On this one, PP has shown that there is still some sanity remaining in some of our politicians. We have to really acknowledge the PP for realizing that the DPP is a greedy party whose leaders are only looking out for ways of lining their pockets.

On this one the DPP has been beaten hands down at its own game. Whether the DPP will devise a way of working with individual PP MPs, the ruling party has still lost it. The gains were much huge working with an entity as a whole block rather than working with individuals in the likes of Uladi Mussa and Ralph Jooma. All what is required now for the PP executive (with or without sellouts like Uladi Mussa, Ralph Jooma and the like) is to be strong and hold this DPP bull by the horns and not let be intimidated into submission or make a u-turn from this resolute position. Yes, as a party you let yourself be kissed by the devil but do not let that kiss overcome your resolve.

Everyone is aware that working with the DPP is not a jolly ride. No party or individual outside the DPP inner circle or outside the Lhomwe belt has ever come out smiling after going to bed with the DPP. Ask Dr Cassim Chilupha he has his own story to tell. Then we have Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima whose story is currently in the making.

But, take note that this is just the beginning of the real drama within the PP, and between the PP and the DPP as we are yet to hear from ‘Amayi’ after this unexpected decision from the PP executive while on the hand to get what it wanted, the DPP has been using blackmailing tactics on Joyce Banda and her alleged involvement in the ongoing ‘cashgate’ cases. It is not clear which side of the tide ‘Amayi’ is but the sooner she speaks the better. And I am very doubtful that the DPP will take this denouncing lying down; I am sure that the ruling party, as crafty as it has always been, has already engaged their political gear in the overdrive as it would want to show what sort of political stuff the party’s strategists are made of.

My heart now is with the UDF which is still in the dancing arena being cuddled and fondled by the DPP as we are yet to see how this political dance concludes and who will be the victim. The fact, though, is that the vampire in DPP is there to devour parties as a strategy of strengthen their chances of winning in 2019, and not for the benefit of the parties the DPP would want to work with. It is indeed doubtful that the DPP maneuvers are in the best interest of the parties and their leaders. It is even a farfetched dream to suggest that Malawians will be the winners in these coalitions.

Actually, going by earlier accusations from the DPP that Joyce Banda and her PP were the main architects of cashgate, makes at to conclude that the DPP was keen to bring all thieves to one camp to protect each other, come 2019. It is clear that the DPP, just like it did during the electoral reforms bill, want to use the opposition MPs to achieve its goals-hang on to power and continue the plunder of government resources, and after the MPs are abused and the mission has been accomplished these MPs will be dumped.

However, it has to be said here that despite such one positive outcome from the PP meeting, the party seems to still have a long way to go to truly convince Malawians that it is geared to do things differently from its sister party the DPP and the mother party the UDF (we are told that President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s conviction of having an alliance with the PP is that both parties have same roots and same mother, the UDF, as they are both offshoots of the UDF).

It is sad and unfortunate development to learn that instead of testing itself with new thinking and new ways of doing things the PP politburo decided to handpick Joyce Banda’s son Roy Kachale as the party’s vice president replacing Ralph Jooma. This is political suicide for the PP as it has decided to travel the same road that the UDF already travelled when it passed on the mantle of the party to Bakili’s son Atupele while the DPP did it with Bingu’s young brother. Believe me you and mark my words, this is a move to strategically position Roy to take over from his mother when time is ripe for her to openly declare that she is done with politics.

All I can say for now, Malawians let us fasten our seat belts and brace ourselves for strange things between now and 2019 and Malawi surely will never disappoint you with such political gymnastics.

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