Before any politician begins to tell people about running for a second term of elected office, it is important to first take stock of the reasons why they ran for office in the first place, the promises they made to the people and whether or not they have lived up to the expectations of the electorate.
I am rather horrified and, quite frankly, rather dismayed when I hear President Peter Mutharika declaring that he will rule this country until 2024 as though it was a foregone conclusion.
Mutharika seems to think that neither his performance in this first term, nor we the electorate, and our satisfaction of his leadership (or lack of it) will have anything to do with his continuing in office.
This kind of delusional thinking is dangerous. Either Peter does not realize, or deliberately ignores the fact that democratic governance has certain principles, one of which is that continued leadership in a democratic dispensation is at the mercy of universal suffrage.
Either way, this ought to be a concern for those close to the President, and also to us who try to safeguard the principles of our democracy. As Malawians, we probably need not worry too much about President Mutharika’s delusions, however, as long as we remain vigilant and remind ourselves of certain important principles of democracy and keep them constantly in mind as the criteria that we are going to employ when we elect our next president.
Let Mutharika continue thinking he has already won the 2019 elections. I, on the other hand, will not stop reminding us Malawians the high standards that our democracy has set for our leaders to live up to.
First and foremost, Mutharika and any aspiring leader must remember that there are universal laws that govern the conduct of human affairs. These are divine rules independent of time and place that guarantee fundamental freedoms to everyone and constrain the way in which governments should behave.
As the American Founding Fathers, wrote in the American Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
As an American citizen himself, Mutharika will do well to remember that if his leadership cannot create an environment that is conducive for the pursuit of happiness by all Malawians and not just Lhomwes or his bosom friends and a select few, then his leadership is failing and he has no right to seek re-election in 2019.
In order to achieve this environment, the best form of government embraces a balance of powers. Even the most noble kings will become tyrants if their reign is unchecked, just as democracy will degrade into mob rule if there are no constraints on popular power.
A just government must be founded on a system of checks and balances. In this regard, we must all beware the leader who sets aside constitutional rules claiming the need for expediency or security, as Mutharika has been inclined to do.
In order to be given the mandate to continue ruling, leaders must in their first term in office demonstrate that they are of exceptional character and integrity.
A leader must possess great courage, ability, and the resolve to discipline even close friends and associates when they fall out of line and threaten to compromise the good governance of the country.
True leaders always put the interest of their nation above their own. Governing a country is like steering a ship, especially when the storm winds begin to blow. If the captain is not able to hold a steady course, the voyage will end in disaster for all.
Mutharika has persistently failed to demonstrate such courage and resolve especially on matters of corruption within his administration.
It would be a tragic mistake for any Malawian to think that he is worthy of a continued mandate to govern when after admitting on countless occasion that corruption is rife in his cabinet and in his government, he has failed miserably to do anything about it.
The only way Mutharika can redeem himself in this regard is by using the remaining two years of his first term to make decisive changes in his administrative style that demonstrates that he does not favour anyone or protect anyone who is corrupt in his administration, and that he puts the country’s wellbeing first before his friends’ or his own. Intelligence is not a dirty word.
My fellow Malawians, those who govern our country should be the best and the brightest of the land.
If leaders don’t have a thorough knowledge of what they are talking about, their speeches will be a silly prattle of empty words and their actions will be dangerously misguided.
With the Maizegate corruption saga, it didn’t seem to me that Peter Mutharika was on top of things, or that he knew what he was talking about. And that was just one example of many.
Leaders need to deliberately seek out the best minds that our country has to offer to help them govern and not be so scared of intelligent minds to end up surrounding themselves with idiots and yes-men.
I believe all Malawians can see what Mutharika has done since winning the election in 2014 in this regard. Merit needs to be above tribal allegiance or political expediency.
That being said, however, a leader also fails when he takes his friends and allies for granted. A leader should never neglect his supporters.
It is fatal for a leader to not know who your real enemies are and what they are doing, and end up being misled into thinking all critics are your enemies and that all smart minds need to be avoided. A leader with the welfare of the nation at heart should not be afraid to reach out to those who oppose him. Pride and stubbornness are luxuries that good leadership cannot afford.
Compromise is the key to getting things done. In political leadership it is irresponsible to take an unwavering stand when circumstances are always evolving.
There are times to stand one’s ground, but consistently refusing to yield and accept when one is wrong or failing to make the right kind of progress is a sign of weakness, not strength.
All Malawians now know that corruption destroys a nation. Greed, bribery, and fraud have devoured our country from the inside, leaving it weak and vulnerable.
Corruption is not merely a moral evil, but a practical menace that leaves citizens at best disheartened, at worst seething with anger and ripe for revolution.
Mutharika is clearly failing to deal with it. He has no right to start believing that as Malawians we can entrust him with another term at the helm only for corruption to continue unchecked, as it has flourished in his administration.
As this was one of Mutharika’s loudest promises during the 2014 elections, his failure to deliver on this promise alone warrants his dismissal.
I know there may be many who disagree with much of my uncommon sense, but I doubt there are any who will disagree with me on this: Mutharika needs to do more to give Malawians hope.
He needs to do more to give us faith, and he needs to do more for us to see the promise of greatness in his leadership. He must do this before he starts talking about ruling until 2024.
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