Don’t throw the baby out with the water. – Trevor Noah, TDS interview with Jonah Goldberg, April 24, 2018
Democracy is a beautiful thing, where we are all human beings, created equal and with certain inalienable rights, protected by our constitution and safeguarded by leaders we elect. In this article I outline four samplings of what democracy looks like; I also contrast the sampling with what democracy is not about.
Malawi’s former President, Dr. Joyce H. Banda, on Saturday April 28, 2018, returned to a tumultuous homecoming at Chileka Airport. Thousands of people gathered at Chileka International Airport, and many more waited patiently for her at her Domasi home-base. Among the well-wishers and dancing throngs of people, were women clad in Malawi Congress Party uniform.
Earlier this year, the Anti-Corruption Bureau cleared the former President of any wrong doing or complicity in the infamous cash-gate saga, in which public servants siphoned millions of Malawi Kwacha from the government’s coffers. Banda has been living in the US since 2014 and returns with her name cleared.
Clearly visible in pictures made available to me, through my sources, were a motley crew of body guards, including the police. This is a constitutionally-ordered provision of the former head of state.
Incidentally, on this same day, Malawi leader, President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, also returned home from the UK, where he had gone to be among his peers in the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Summit. He was welcomed at Kamuzu International Airport by the Right Honorable Vice President Dr. Saulos K. Chilima.
Thousands of Malawians also gathered at KIA to welcome the President.
So, tell me what democracy looks like? This is what democracy looks like!
What is not democratic, is that for four years, the former President has had to live in self-exile, a refugee of sorts in the USA. She was accused of being involved in cash gate and lived a life of scorn as her accusers heaped unconfirmed charges against her involvement in stealing from the government.
The syphoning of government funds, did not stop with President Banda’s end of tenure in 2014; it continued and the figures involved are doubled. However, while the government officials that were complicit in the cash gate saga during Dr. Banda’s government have been brought to book and serving jail sentences, the ones that are suspected of stealing government funds, have neither been charged nor called out by policing agents in the country.
This makes many analysts wondering, what is the current Administration waiting for? It would be good for democracy for government watchdog institutions to act now; please do not wait for the next presidency to act, so you can yell, scream and shout out “this is a witch hunt!”
This is not what democracy looks like.
The second sampling of democracy can be viewed where Malawians from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Thursday took to the streets to demonstrate against demonstrations that were to be held on Friday. This was their democratic right to voice their opinions.
On Friday, civil society organizations and opposition parties swamped city streets in the south, center and northern regions to protest the MK4 billion government payout to certain parliamentarians. During the protest march, civil society organizations gave President Mutharika 90 days contained in a 10-point petition. Among the petitions is a demand to the re-tabling of election laws that should include the 50+1 in the form proposed by the Law Commission.
The petition gives timelines, and failure to meet the time set, will resort to implementation of Plan B, until “all the demands are address.” The civil society includes in the petition a warning that it has a “series of post-April 27 demonstrations activities….”
This is an alert, a notice to the President and all elected officials that says “we, the people, are your employers; and this is what we want you to do. You work for us.”
So. Tell me what democracy looks like? This is what democracy looks like.
Sadly, on the same Friday, it is reported that some Mzuzu protestors were arrested after they destroyed a billboard with the President’s face. This is not democracy; even with the purported excuse that the demonstrators were annoyed for being blocked them from demonstrating.
The President is our head of state and must be respected; secondly property belonging to other people must be respected. The 17 arrested protestors are in the wrong on these two counts: showing disrespect to the head of state and destroying another person’s property.
This is not what democracy looks like.
The third sampling of democracy has to do with an unnamed Karonga, who when Acting President Dr. Saulos Chilima visited and cheered flood victims. The woman, in responding to having received relief items that included food and other supplies, she fell flat to the ground, profusely thanking VP Chilima.
This is her democratic right to do so; it is an expression in our culture and an outright proper thing to do. The President of your country comes out when you are in distress, and relieves you of that daunting problem – hunger, homelessness and other flood-related challenges.
YES, I would fall down on my knees, roll-tumble a couple of times, to show my appreciation. Understandably in other cultures people cry, smile, say ‘thank-yous.’ In Malawi, we get down on our knees or roll on the ground. Full appreciation mode, Malawi-style.
So, tell me, what does democracy look like? This is what democracy looks like.
In reacting to this show of gratitude to VP Chilima, UK’s High Commissioner to Malawi, Holly Tett tweeted “This way of saying ‘thanks’ the traditional way just doesn’t sit right with me. What’s wrong with the traditional way of just saying ‘thanks’ and throwing a smile for good measure?”
This is not democracy and it is a shoddy show of imperialistic snobbishly of the highest order. To respond to Madam Tett, I’d like to recall that this past Monday, their Royal Highness’s Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge (Kate and William), gave birth to their third child (son Louis). Many Britons, as is their tradition flocked to the hospital clad in various forms of the Union Jack (name for their British flag); one particular Brit, spread out an entire spread and slept on the ground. Waiting.
These Brits were waiting for the birth of the royal baby. Once born, a courier took out a scroll and laid it on an easel on the grounds of Buckingham Palace. All these are traditions in the UK.
Also, a tradition in the UK is the laborious session first-time greeters of the Queen go through: women curtsy, men bow as they shake the royal hand. It’s the tradition in the UK.
This is my message then to Ambassador Tett: You in the UK have your traditions, that no Malawian would dream of doing (clad in country flag and sleeping outside the hospital waiting for baby to be born: what happened to the simple waiting by the cellphone?); or the scroll announcing the royal birth (don’t you lot have WhatsApp or Twitter?). As for teaching how to shake the royal hand, all Malawians know the respectful way of greeting one’s elders or persons in high authority. There’s no one who’d ever told me how to greet the President because my parents did that when I was a young girl.
Additionally, Madam foreign diplomat as a representative of the UK government as you scoffed/ridiculed/mocked/pooh-poohed the traditions of our country while your people show their respect and love to the rulers in your country, illuminates high hypocrisy, insincerity and facetiousness. You berate our people when they show love, respect and gratitude to our leaders.
Madam diplomat, this is not what democracy looks like.
The last sampling of what democracy looks like, is of the former First Lady Madam Callista Chimombo Mutharika, who spoke out about her choice for who should be the 2019 DPP candidate. She made her opinion known that she would prefer the Vice President Saulos Chilima to be DPP candidate. She was soon joined by a chorus of others voicing similarsentiments. And other against the opinion.
To all these commentaries, Vice President Chilima has continued to express himself with the continued no reaction. His silence is his right of expression and speaks for itself.
Freedom of expression is a jealously guarded human right in all democracies. This is what democracy looks like. However, your democratic right end where another begin.
With Madam Mutharika’s outspoken call for Mutharika not to run has sparked numerous reactions, among them being:
A threat to inject former First Lady with rabies virus;
Some DPP zealots cite that Chilima is a baby and cannot rule Malawi; and
A demand for Chilima to speak out, to come out of the closet and say something.
The threats to life of the former First Lady is undemocratic.
Saying Chilima is a baby, is an insult that does not deserve my commentary.
Exerting pressure on the VP to speak on an issue it would be suicidal to speak on is absurd, nonsensical, outrageous, ludicrous. The man already has the job of President (in the Vice category), and some want him to speak on their foolish desires. What if he speaks and he loses his current job of President in the Vice category? Don’t force Chilima to lose his job.
Forcing Chilima to speak on his 2019 presidential candidacy is like a man telling a married woman that she is a beautiful and she should leave her husband; asking her to speak out that she’d be better with him than her husband.
This is not what democracy looks like.
There are 13 months to the next term, and President Mutharika and Vice President Chilima are to be congratulated for having lasted to this point, without forcing one out of office. This is rare in Malawi where VPs are concerned. Chakuamba is the only VP that left office still being on good terms with President Kamuzu Banda.
All others (Muluzi/Malewezi; Mutharika/Banda and Banda/Kachale) ended with either President being unhappy with his Vice President or Vice President jumping ship from his President. It hasn’t been a pretty picture of our 24-year old democracy.
The Mutharika/Chilima Administration is working. The two elected in 2014 are still together. So, tell me what democracy looks like?
So, tell me what democracy looks like? This is what democracy looks like.
Long live genuine democracy
