Analysis by Victoria Simbi
Why Atupele Austin Muluzi has failed miserably in his political journey is a very simple issue. And he will never make it in the future because he allowed his dad to make UDF a family organization. To back up my point, the senior Muluzi is the Patron of the Party meaning nothing can be done in the party without his signature approval or disapproval.
The ‘family tree politics’ has not only in not only in UDF. AFORD too has the same syndrome. But will DPP follow the same path? Simple arithmetic below.
Thom Chakukwa Chihana begat Enoch Chihana. Enoch Chihana has been an MP for sometime and he eventually lost interest to contest in Rumphi Central Constituency after noticing that his popularity has nose dived. Charles Mhango could have easily won that seat last year if he had played his cards well. But the same spirit of many lawyers of not interacting with common man costed him a golden opportunity to grab the seat on a ‘silver plater’.
Bakili Muluzi begat Atupele Austin Muluzi and the son became an MP to a constituency that his father does not even come from. Bakili Muluzi had to send Thengo Maloya who was an MP for that constituency abroad to get an ambassadorial post just to accommodate his son, Atupele in those days. And Atupele won the seat for two consecutive terms and finally people said enough with dynasty and he was given an exit door when angry people voted for an independent candidate.
Imagine, we are talking of Machinga here. You and me, believe it’s the headquarters of UDF by any standard. But things are not the same as we speak. DPP Vice President for the Eastern region Bright Msaka has eclipsed Atupele Muluzi in that district. And Machinga has now become the headquarters of DPP in the Eastern region. Look at DPP MPs found in that district now.
On Thursday, the 18th of March,2021, the junior Muluzi, to be specific Atupele of ung’onoung’ono fame opened a symposium of which the party is trying to find ways of rebranding in readiness for 2025 polls.
While opening the meeting, in his speech Atupele decided to delink himself from his father that UDF is not a Muluzi family. Which no sound voter will believe that. If UDF is not a property of Muluzi family why is that his father is still a patron of the party? So Atupele is lying at a strategic planning meeting. Malawi with her people!
The fruits of strategic planning won’t be achieved as long as Bakili Muluzi is still calling the shots. Its dead deal and we can easily say, Atupele Austin Muluzi will never be the President or Vice President of this country because of family tree politics.
Everyone knows that Atupele is not a bad guy but the situation which his father created makes him being hated by voters. And it remain the same. No wonder he got only 200,000 votes in 2019 tripartite elections.
Its against this background that Atupele has realised that he must start preaching about UDF not being a family organization but that is too late the bus has already left the stage. His dad had marred his future. The only solace he has now is to pray that he keeps on being appointed minister in a very government that comes in at the back of party’s MPs who hold the cards for the party.
The same scenario is with Enoch Chihana who can not dispute that his resurrection has come because of Chakwera is funding him for 2025 magic polls.
MCP is trying to deflate the popularity of UTM and Chilima in the northern region which is a tall order at all as we stand now. Enock is not a political threat to Chilima and he shall never be and MCP is just wasting their resources on a barren exercise.
How naive can MCP be at times as they think Chinana dynasty can effect the presidential elections to the point of making Chakwera a king once again. MCP is a big party and has just to plan on their own now.
This takes me to another person who has just come on the political scene at the back of his uncle, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.
In all fairness, Daliso Kabambe is not a bad guy in his own capacity.
But Kabambe is riding on his uncle who to win the DPP Presidency at the expense of some seniors who have suffered a lot to make DPP continue to breathing on the political map. And this makes Kabambe already a puppet even before DPP goes to its convention. The worst scenario is that Kabambe is using the same people who misled APM when DPP was in government and this a threat most DPP members are fearing shall happen.
Let us call a spade a spade at times just to save our democracy.
DPP started losing direction the day APM picked chimulirenji as his running mate. That was horrendous decision which Peter Mutharika shall regret for all of his life. That day, if he had picked people like Chimunthu Banda, Bright Msaka, Kondwani Nankhumwa, Walter Nyamilandu, Jappie Mhango or even Professor Etta Banda people could have regarded him a serious man. But by picking a person of Chimulirenje caliber many Malawians knew that he had picked him deliberately who is politically weak so that he can and work at his at his beset. A thing that backfired beyond repair. That is how some professors can be poor when it comes to make crucial decisions at a very crucial time. In short, it’s APM who made DPP to lose elections. It was by choice and design.
The same mistake of making important decisions at crossroads is what is happening today with the choice of his nephew to inherit his kingship
Peter Mutharika adminstration was regarded as masters of tribalism. This was another reason why many people didn’t like DPP. It was all about mulakho wa Llomwe in everything. A thing that DPP failed to defend because evidence was there.
Once beaten, twice shy. But does APM learn from his terrible mistakes. It seems not so as he spending sleepless nights trying to make Daliso Kabambe, President of DPP at a very wrong time where tides of politics have completely changed. That people no longer want to hear of family tree politics. Whosoever is advising APM on this does not love DPP at all and MCP must be very happy to see Mutharika making such kindergarten mistakes.
For your information have you ever heard MCP talking ill of Kabambe? They won’t talk now deliberately because they want Peter Mutharika to commit such error and the rest shall be history.
Thyolo, Machinga and Rumphi SHALL never produce a president under this generation anymore. It’s a closed chapter and whether you like it or not just take your hypertension medicines to contain the blood pressure regulations in your body from now and evermore.
DPP must really think deep now. Does the party really wants to be described and associated with Mutharika anymore? And for why? Does the party think that a person from Thyolo can lead this country again during 2025 polls? And for why?Does the party really think that with Thyolo name, 50+1 Malawians can go for Kabambe? Has DPP find a feet in the northern region which shall be a kingmaker in 2025 with Kabambe?
MCP is making a lot of mistakes now and that if elections were to be heard today, DPP could win the elections but not with Kabambe at the helm. That one forget. I mean nobody will vote for Kabambe even most DPP members would vote for either Chilima or Chakwera than him and the reasons I have already share above.
DPP shall end like a social club. DPP shall end like PP. DPP shall end like AFORD. DPP shall end like UDF if something is not done so quickly to fix this party.
But DPP is a strong brand if it can shake off this dust of family tree politics and put someone who has a national appeal and win the polls come 2025.
Let me help you with names that can take DPP back into government and can work well with northern region.
Joseph Mwanamveka, Bright Msaka, Kondwani Nankhumwa, Walter Nyamilandu, Chimunthu Banda. DPP folks, get one from these people then you are assured of 2025 with MCP losing trust in the eyes of the people each passing day. Be assured that you can make it but not with Thyolo name.
Since Professor Arthur Peter loves power, he will grab the Patron position in the party as Bakili Muluzi did with UDF. And is what makes some DPP members cry.
Atupele, Daliso and Enock are all in politics because of their fathers and uncle now. Malawi of today, will never accept to be ruled by such dynasty anymore. That chapter is gone and closed.
good advice but still looks nonsense. remember apm and chimulirenji won the 2019 polls which you decided to overturn because it seems there are some people here more powerful than our democracy and the ballot. this has made me not to take voting seriously and i doubt if ever i will vote again. what crime has apm committed? he was chosen at the convention and he is just serving his term in the party. he is the democratic pillar and believe you me after the 2023 party convention he will retire to his mangochi home. you can’t relate apm to muluzi and chihana, he is a rare gem and the true professor. by the way, why are you people scared of kabambe? can you give us the tangible evidence that kabambe is apm’s blood line? if so which law in malawi bars any person related to the former presidents from contesting for the presidency? we are in a democracy and even mutharika children are at liberty to contest. chimunthu banda is the fortune seeker and he quitted dpp and opted for tonse so this guy is out of the dpp presidential hopeful list. if i change my mind to vote in 2025 any candidate who will win at dpp convention will have my vote. its wrong to say that apm lost because of his choice of chimulirenji. i repeat he won the 2019 polls which hrdc and mcp planned well in advance to overturn using bloody violence had apm won. regardless of who seconded apm his win would have been met with undemocratic opposition resistance. if 50+1 would have defeated apm why did kenyatta rushed to stop the registration exercise? what was he afraid of? why did tonse applied bullying tactics and abductions of dpp officials on the polling day? If you have nothing to write just sit down and watch nigerians. you are obssessed with apm while tonse is planning big and believe you me if not careful there will be unforetold scenes in 2025 than those we witnessed in 2020 and we usually ignore this. Kabambe has right to contest and let them battled it out and let the convention decide. Take out apm of this. He is just serving his last term and in 2025 thats when we will see how effective is 50+1. Even bush family has been contesting for american presidency but there has not been such stupid thinking of dynamsties. What about kenya? To hell with your tribalistic commenting which is only done at ill will against the citizenry and democracy. Let them compete thats what democracy is all about.
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Democracy in malawi is very interesting. mercenary journalism is eating slowly our democracy. they don’t care about the person’s achievements and capabilities all they have in mind is to defend and protect the chaff that could offer them top government posts once their sinister moves triumph eg gospel and brian. they don’t care about roads. they don’t care about state of art infrastructures. they don’t care about the strong local currency. they don’t mimd about economic resilience in tough times whether man made or natural. they don’t care about everything. how on earth can they always attack personalities in terms of age, relation to former head of state, tribe, as a tool of silencing some1 who has an interest to contest in the presidential race? they did in vein the same antics to counter bingu’s and apm’s presidential hopes but, they were shocked to the extent of getting a fit and brain washed the biased, corrupt and tribalistic judiciary which cowardly overturned the credible polls. they never write the truth about their useless choices because they don’t love us but themselves. they enjoy seeing us walloped in dire poverty and our nation ranked amongst the poorest. why are they afraid of kabambe? the dpp aspirants are all giants and this could make their convention the toughest and the greatest. people don’t be carried away by these empty campaign promises that have nothing but full of no hope to offer for the future malawi. eeeh apm wakalamba….aaah kabambe is apm’s nephew. so what does this has to do with apm’s old age and development? you know what? this guy was paying himself k30m/month. so what impact did his salary had on the local currency? who plans and makes the salary between the employee and the employer? stop to be naiive and stupid. every malawian has the right to try his/her lucky to contest at any political position of their choice. to be honest this could be utm’s empty tactics as they are good at this. all they know is attacking their opponents in terms of age, relarions, tribe, region and nothing else. we want people that can build our cities. we want people that can build schools. we want people that can build our economy. we want people that can bring electricity to the remotest village. whatever the great things done by mutharikas and if copied and done by foreign leaders we salute them and scorn our own. what a shame?!
Zokondera basi. What about banda dynasty? Mutharika kukuphwekerani eti? Some one is also fighting for her son who was given a ministerial position in tonse in exchange of an alliance. Why osalembanso zaiwowo? Why zomba is forgotten in the list of former presidents? Za ziiiii.