By Kenneth Bwanali
The question I beg to ask is: Is politics for lawyers or economists? The answer favors lawyers over economists. My research, conducted last week, reveals that lawyers make the best politicians.
Examples from Europe, America, and Africa fortify my position. We all know that Zimbabwe is led by a lawyer, President Mnangagwa; South Africa is also led by a lawyer, Ramaphosa. In the USA, the current president is Joe Biden, a lawyer.
Similarly, the present candidate for the Democratic Party in the USA is Kamala Harris, a former Attorney General of California; and Trump’s running mate is DJ Vance, a lawyer.
Coming to Malawi, we all know that the founder of the Malawi Congress Party was Otton Chirwa, a lawyer and barrister from England.
Needless to say, Lewis Chimango, also a barrister from England, left Chancellor College as Dean of Law and joined politics, later becoming Speaker of Parliament.
From this research, I am able to foretell that Peter Mutharika, a University of London and University of Yale (Master of Laws) graduate, will choose Jane Ansah, a PhD holder in law from the University of Nottingham, as his running mate in the 2025 elections.
I can also foresee my closest friend, Lughano Mwabutwa, a British barrister and holder of a Master’s Degree from the University of London, making it in 2025 as a member of parliament for the Lufilya constituency in Karonga. And not forgetting Gift Nankhuni, Gilbert Khonyongwa, and Kadzipatike.
The time has indeed come for lawyers to change politics in Malawi. Good luck!
