“In politics,
nothing happens by accident;
If it happens,
you can bet it was planned that way”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
It is not surprising that Vice President Khumbo Hastings Kachali has finally quit the governing People’s Party. What is surprising is why he was procrastinating about it.
Of course, although he tried to put on a brave face when Joyce Banda passed him over the vice presidential running mate position, we knew he felt slighted inside. His statement that by passing him over President Banda was indicating that she had lost confidence in him was a loaded one if you get my drift.
But is quitting now, slightly just over a week before the elections, strategic? As a senior politician Kachali must have a legion of people who look up to him for direction. By keeping them in the dark as to what he was doing was not exactly strategic.
I have always held the view that Kachali had no clue what it means to be vice president. I mean, he followed President Banda where ever she went, even to the most mundane of functions.
But soon after Abiti ditched him he became a ‘no show’ at most presidential functions, even those happening in his home turf – the North – where he was supposed to be PP’s regional vice president.
We all knew Kachali was boiling inside but he lacked the spine to make a tough decision.
Now that he has finally made the bold decision to call it quits what are his next political options?
Rumours said he was exploring a working relationship with the MCP…which made a lot of sense since the coming in of Lazarus Chakwera has brought a breath of fresh air to the oldest party in the land. With the MCP needing just a slight nudge from the other two regions to bolster its Central Region vote, Kachali would have been curving a strategic position for himself by aligning himself with the surging MCP.
But latter rumours indicate that he was heading back to a party that embarrassingly booted him out with Joyce Banda. Although they say there are no permanent enemies or friends in politics, going back to the DPP will be ill-advised for Kachali. It will cast him out as a politician with no clue of what he wants for himself and his supporters.
We are debating rumours here because Kachali himself has chosen to keep us guessing. What is he afraid of by zipping up his mouth as to what he is doing? By keeping us all guessing he is being selfish even to himself. Look, even for his resignation he is not coming out clearly. And he wants to be a national leader?
There are some politicians for whom reticence is their selling point. I have Cassim Chilumpha in mind. But what has worked for Kaka cannot work for Ke true.
Now since he has chosen to be parsimonious with information we will have to work with what we have in front of us. For instance, his facebook page threatens to reveal what he says are PP’s rigging antics. He claims to have been the governing party’s first chairman of elections and he is, therefore, privy to all rigging antics the governing
party has put in place.
If indeed this is coming from the Right Honourable Khumbo Hastings Kachali he is exposing a crooked personality who is ready to use underhand antics as long as they work to his advantage. If indeed he is ready to spill the beans, as it were, how can his new political buddies trust him with party secrets? Unstable as he has shown to be, it is not
guaranteed that he will stick it out if things do not work for him in his new destination.
Besides, rigging an election is criminal. If indeed it is him claiming such criminal acts he must be a person of interest for law enforcement institutions.
We are here discussing rumours because Kachali himself has decided to be selfish by holding on to information. What is he scared of? Why can he just tell us, “Yes, I have quit PP and this is what I am doing or where I am going”?
