“Every man is a hero of his own story”
Brandon Sanderson
So it is Arthur Peter Mutharika, the constitutional law professor on sabbatical from Washington State University, who will be a constant guest in the muckraking cauldron for the next five years. Wow! Congratulations are in order!
ANgoni Saulos, too; many thought the young man was high on something not exactly legal to throw away a seven-figure salary to partner with an old man leading a party which not too long ago was an anti-thesis of progressive politics. As it turned out, Chilima made the most progressive move at the right time.
But the new Mutharika administration must hit the ground running. Something must have happened in the last two years to make a party that killed students, torched critics’ property and openly advertised its terror in the middle of the highway to become attractive again so soon.
Malawians may have a short memory as Atcheya aptly put it, yes, but a little nudge will make those dark days come flooding back to mind again. So Peter will have to work hard to prove that his administration is not a copy-and-paste of the Big Kahuna’s latter years.
Of course, by accident of nature Bingu will forever remain Peter’s brother; there is absolutely nothing he can do to change that. But there is everything he can do to prove that, even though he is his brother’s brother, he is his own man.
He can do that by the choice of people he works with. Bingu might have been arrogant by nature but the people who surrounded him contributed to his losing touch with reality in the twilight of his life. They made him forget he was a national leader and concentrated power and influence to one corner of the country.
That was the beginning of Bingu’s slide into infamy. To consolidate their influence the vultures that surrounded him stoked fear into the President that turned him paranoid. He believed every little lie they fed him. He even bought a needless bullet-proof vest that only succeeded in making him look deformed because someone lied to him that someone was out to get him.
Peter must be selective with who he associates with, lest he ends up a sad man like his brother did.
Already Peter must know that he is ascending to power via the most protracted and controversial election Malawi has ever had. Close to two-thirds of the country rejected him. That should give him food for thought.
And Peter must brace himself for a tough ride in Parliament. The MCP believes it was cheated of victory. Although MEC was yet to tally figures for MPs, the MCP may bag the majority of MPs.
And already post-election alliances of convenience are already emerging. You saw how in Mangochi both PP and UDF were marching in protest of how the vote had gone but draped their banners in an MCP cloth.
So will Abusa Laz do a JZU redux? Will we see a replay of the Section 65 versus Budget debacle?
Abusa may not be as ruthless as JZU in his politics; after all he will just be learning the ropes. But he will have passionate voices urging him on in the likes of the academic freedom goddess Jesse Kabwila.
So Peter should brace for a tough time in Parliament. He may not have so much of a honeymoon.
But he can learn from how his brother turned on its head such a hung Parliament. He played to the masses for sympathy instantly turning John Tembo into a villain.
Earlier, after being elected by just under 40 percent of the vote, Bingu realised quickly that by rejecting him Malawians were rejecting his sponsor. He quickly saw the sign, read the writing on the wall and did the needful.
But it was easy for Bingu because the albatross around his neck was a mere political ally. He quickly dumped Bakili Muluzi and his yellow camp and eloped with government to the DPP.
It will not be that easy for Peter for the albatross around his neck is his very own blood brother’s legacy. But, somehow, he must find a way of proving that he is his own man, not the guy who rose to power on name recognition.
Malawians of good would want him to succeed because if he succeeded it would not him who would have succeeded but all the 15 million of us. Perhaps President Mutharika must ‘steal’ one of Atupele Muluzi’s pay-off lines: ‘It’s no longer business as usual, but business unusual’.
Good morning, Mr. President.