Some guys have all the luck. If you ever doubted the credibility of this phrase then you had not yet heard of or met one Saulos Klaus Chilima. The guy has everything that defines luck. At only forty, he occupies the office of the Vice President.
At that age, his declared assets made many of us go green with envy! And there is one other thing that as a woman I would do injustice if I don’t mention. The looks! The guy is handsome. Madam Mary Chilima must be smiling wherever she is reading this. One day I will surely ask her ‘where she got him from’ as women do when we are appreciating our colleague’s partner!
Enough of that but for today, let me concentrate on his occupying of the office of the vice president. Towards the May 2014 elections, I was privileged to be amongst those that could ‘hear in advance’ of potential running mates of APM. Names were thrown into the hat. Tembenu, Kalirani amongst others joined the fray. As a woman I had my own preference but that is subject for another day.
Then at the very end, on instruction from APM himself, a team that had gone to make a final analysis of the running mates somewhere along Mchinji road, came out with white smoke: Chilima was to partner APM! The rest, as they say, is history. Singing public service reform, ‘for new politics step forward’ and ‘business unusual’ we were assured of an energetic new kid on the block.
Those that doubted how this youthful man managed Airtel Malawi finally believed that we had given APM the perfect private sector match. He hit the ground running. But not until when politics caught up with him and slowed him down! I will not have to mention who the master minder of plots against him was.
By now all my readers know him. Congratulations all of you for getting it right! But as I said, the vice president has all the luck. Here he is. Before the war even started the plotter has fallen by the way side. Now Sir, I have a word for you: You are the rightful youthful face we wanted at the presidency. Luck has cleared the way for you.
There was no need for someone to outshine and rub shoulders against you in the first place, Sir. You are by constitution our citizen number 2. Take charge. Nature has always been kind to you. Do not relent. Who knows, in future we may have you running to board a hired plane as citizen number one. With all that luck it is possible Sir. You have all the luck, good luck.