At no point in the electoral history of Malawi has the seat of president attracted more candidates than the May 20 tripartite elections. There are 11 candidates in total compared to seven in 2009 elections.
The question is: why?
There are those who think it is because of the amatuerish blunders being committed in the highest office now, some of which are avoidable. So everyone, including bicycle riders, is fancying their chances.
The mockery starts with the Katsonga brothers. Mark Katsonga is contesting as presidential candidate for People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) and Davis as torch bearer for Chipani cha Pfuko.
There is nothing wrong with brothers contesting for the presidency. It should be said both has the constitutional right to contest.
However, there are certain things about them that if considered, make their joining of the race look foul, ill-advised and bordering on nothing but uncensored vanity.
To begin with, stories abound of long standing personal differences between the two brothers. But now if that is true and the two brothers are failing to reconcile and rise above the pettiness of their own personal household grudges, why should anyone take them seriously?
Besides, the two were rejected by people from their own constituencies as MPs. Davis lost to Nicholas Dausi while Mark lost to Reen Kachere in 2009. How do they hope to convince the nation to vote for them if they are literally failing to convince their own constituents?
What is more baffling now is that, these brothers, while knowing very well they are going to lose come May 20, went ahead and registered to run.
Why are these brothers willing to pay Malawi Electoral Commission K1 million each and spend even more during three months of intensive campaign just to gauge the level of rejection Malawians have for them?
Whose interests are they pursuing? How can they choose to spend millions in what is going to be profitless bravado. Neno and Mwanza where the two brothers Mockery of presidency as depicted in two brothers come from are two of the least developed parts in this country.
Had Bill Clinton not built the district hospital at Neno, which is just about the only noticeable building at the boma, the place would still be looking as ordinary as any village in pre-colonial times.
There is no tarmac road in Neno. When a strange disease attacked people in the district in 2009, our travel to Ntemankhawa area found people living in primitive conditions; a family of four living in a one room grass-thatched house. These people would share their humble abodes with domestic animals; goats, sheep, chickens, dogs and all.
In fact, when doctors visited the area they attributed the outbreak to the unhealthy proximity between the people and the animals. In Ntemankhawa, there is no hospital, no proper school or any amenities a proper community should have. Such is the level of poverty.
Mark’s constituency is so under-developed that hyenas prowl the area in broad daylight. Imagine how much relief the millions paid to Mec and to be spent in the campaign Mec could bring to this area.
Or perhaps the Katsonga brothers are in this race because they too have fallen victim to wrong advice from political advisers around them. There is a breed of scoundrels who earn a living out of bloating politicians’ egos.
But on second thoughts, you cannot really blame the Katsonga brothers for joining the race. Looking at the crop of presidential candidates we have, anyone would fancy their chances.
Take the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, Peter Mutharika, for example. The only reason he is a presidential candidate for the party is because he is a brother to the late Bingu wa Mutharika.
His incompetence as a leader became apparent when he was minister in the DPP regime. When he was Minister of Education he failed to find a solution to the academic wrangle between government and lecturers of the University of Malawi.
When he was Minister of Foreign Affairs the diplomatic row between Malawi and Britain erupted. The British High Commissioner was sent packing but he did nothing to repair diplomatic relations with donors.
He was the reason why Joyce Banda and company quit the party and since then the DPP has been reduced to a Lomwe club house. So why should the Katsonga brothers not fancy themselves against such opposition?
Atupele Muluzi, might be young and present a fresh beginning for the United Democratic Front (UDF), but he carries on his back the shadow of his father.
He ascended to power not by his own competence but by the political shenanigans of his father. His father will always call the shots behind him. He is also responsible for splitting the party. The breakaway group formed the New Labour Party headed by Friday Jumbe because they could not stand such undemocratic tendencies.
President Banda gave Atupele a chance to prove his mettle as Minister of Economic planning but he resigned without impacting anything on the youths whose cause he claims to champion.
You therefore cannot really blame the Katsonga brothers for fancying themselves. And then look at Banda herself, how she has gotten herself soiled in lies over time after starting very well. When she took over, she solved the fuel problem; forex became available, mended sour diplomatic relations with donors.
Malawians, as usual, made the same mistake as before became over trusting and hero worshipping her. She became a politician and the lies started. For example, if she had told the truth at the onset on this jet conundrum, this entire debacle would have been avoided.
It is glaring incompetence in the highest office of government that is making every person on the land believe they can do better as president. Then there are the James Nyondos who just come during elections and after losing they disappear to nowhere and appear again during another election season.
What mockery to the presidency of this country. Can you really blame the Katsonga brothers? If the two really have one agenda of looking after the people of Malawi, why can’t they come together? If all the 11 presidential candidates indeed have one agenda of looking after Malawians as they claim, why don’t they unite and field one candidate?
The fact is: all of them have selfish interests. That’s why each is running on their own.