By Edgar Kelvin Ng’ambi
On November 30, 2022, the Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) issued a press release, which was signed by its ‘life president’, John Kapito. It reminded the President of his pledge to reshuffle his cabinet, and suggested what Kapito thinks should happen including the merging of ministries, and removal of ministers that in his personal opinion have not delivered. Fair.
However, they say those who seek equity must always come with clean hands. I can bet my last Tambala that try to take John Kapito aside and talk to him nicely about who he thinks should make the new cabinet. He will most certainly mention himself because that is the calibre of his personage.
During the Joyce Banda administration, Kapito was always at his emotional best, criticizing government at each and every turn. For example, on September 10, 2012 to be precise, Nyasa Times wrote under the headline “Kapito’s emotional theories dangerous to Malawi”, and in the body of the text it read: “One may wish to appreciate that in a democracy, like ours, every Jim and Jack has the right to express their opinion.
“However, such opinions are more useful when they are communicated without any personalized emotions like Mr. Kapito seems to be doing”.
Peter Mutharika seemed to have known this fact and quickly appointed him Chairperson of Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) when he ascended to power in 2014. Kapito went deathly quiet for the better part of the Peter Mutharika administration.
At some point, someone asked him why he was not critical of government like he had done under JB to which he shot back saying “you also have the responsibility to criticize government”.
Fast track to today, Kapito is back at his best criticizing government and behaving like a hysterical rabbit. Are we experiencing some kind of a de-ja-vu?
Kapito’s statement sounds more like sour grapes. Like other statements from him, it suffers from generalization without material facts to substantiate what he is suggesting. It is clearly drowned in hyperbole and emotional clutter to be taken seriously. Which begs the question: Is Kapito raising his tone now simply because the Tonse Alliance government did not throw any emoluments his way?
