“Politics
have no relation
to morals”
– Niccolo Machiavelli
Is JZU finally vindicated?
After years of fighting with the MCP giant, there came a rare moment of unity between Chris Daza and John Tembo. That was when the MCP was considering to screen aspirants for the presidency, a clever way of barring ‘strangers’ from contesting for the top job in the oldest party in the land.
But then the old man decided to fling the doors wide open, perhaps knowing that if the strangers were barred, Daza would certainly take the prize.
And true, Daza came a distant third leaving the first and second positions to the new men, Lazarus Chakwera and Lovemore Munlo. That Daza was bitter is without question. After the late Ishmael Chafukira, he was the lone challenger to JZU. He actually proved that one can challenge the giant and get away with it.
Daza certainly invested a lot of energy and resources for that cause, only to be denied the glory at the very end.
But now, by quitting at an unexpected hour, what image is he giving? Clearly, Chris Daza joins the bandwagon of power-hungry politicians. He gives the impression that he was not fighting for the good of the party, but for his own selfish needs.
If truth be told, Daza fought a good fight and he was the ultimate winner in that he fought for change of leadership in MCP and he achieved that. He could have been considered a loser had JZU retained his position.
But alas! All those accolades are gone because it would appear that Chris Daza was, after all, not fighting for the good of the party, but for himself.
Daza got an emphatic endorsement for the position of Secretary General of the MCP if the vote count is anything to go by. If authority to govern the party is derived from the people, Daza got an emphatic affirmation for the position of CEO, if you get my drift.
But, apparently, Daza does not agree with the verdict of the people; he possibly thinks that he was cut for the presidency.
Out of frustration, he has jumped to the ruling PP.
How much does the ruling party gain from Daza, and how much does the MCP lose by his quitting?
It is apparent that with all the goings-on at Capital Hill, PP needs a boost and a facelift. The open sesame at Capital Hill and the subsequent freezing of aid by donors can greatly affect PP’s chances of getting back KamuzuPalace and Capital Hill come May next year.
And who may benefit more from PP’s stumbling? DPP’s Peter Mutharika has a fair chance of winning the elections but his late brother’s legacy remains the albatross around his neck. Bingu wa Mutharika took the country to the precipice. Some voters may think it is too soon to have another Mutharika in State House.
That leaves us with the newly-wed Austin Atupele Muluzi. Atupele has everything that qualifies him for the top job. He is young and therefore appeals to the twitter and facebook age. He is mild mannered and does not shout obscenities unlike most of our politicians. And, to boot, he has a recognisable name.
But it is the latter that can be his making and unmaking. His dad is a likable fella, a generous man a lot of people miss. But to some his ten years in power was a disaster. Malawians enjoyed unfettered freedom during the old Muluzi’s tenure, yes, but it was on his watch when corruption was institutionalised. So Atcheya’s mixed legacy can rub off the son both positively and negatively.
And then comes Lazarus Chakwera, the man of the collar. He burst on the scene from literally nowhere. While all his main challengers – Abiti, Tate and Bebe – have links to all the three regimes Malawi has had, Abusa has none.
Frustrated by politics as usual Malawians may try politics unusual which benefits the new kid on the political block – the Rev. Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.
So while Abiti can fight Peter and Atupele with their brother and dad’s legacies, she has nothing to fight Abusa with. Which makes Chakwera the man to beat for Joyce Banda.
Therefore PP had to make in-roads in the MCP stronghold of the Central Region and try to destabilise the oldest political party in the land in whatever manner.
Plucking off the MCP CEO is certainly an ingenious idea.
But is Daza really the talisman PP needs to steal the MCP thunder in the Central Region and beyond? Here is somebody who failed to secure a seat in his Ntcheu bid for Parliament. In fact, he came a distant fifth. And he has just failed to make it to the MCP presidency.
So what value does he bring to PP?
Granted, PP can gain traction from poaching a whole Secretary General, the de facto CEO, of the main opposition party.
But we saw PP roping in Wakuda Kamanga from the DPP. He too was Secretary General, DPP’s CEO. But do we hear anything about Wakuda any more? Where is the guy?
Daza’s coming to PP does not benefit the ruling party that much, neither does it affect the MCP that much. It only benefits Chris Daza, the person. Has he not just landed a ministry whose ToRs beggars belief?
