A 2009 Confrontation Coming with Old Roots

Aaron Akwete Sandie

Akwete Sande gives an overview of the current political situation in historical context in Malawi in the lead up to the 2009 elections.

• Bakili Muluzi was a powerful politician under dictator Hastings Banda, first President of Malawi 1964-1994.
• As Secretary General of Malawi Congress Party at a younger age, Muluzi was dictator number two to Banda. But like all others before him, he served for a short period and was removed.
• Bakili Muluzi went into business, but he resurfaced to lead the United Democratic Front - UDF in 1992 as a pressure group to agitate for political pluralism.
• Muluzi, an accomplished orator backed by the faith community alvanised Malawians against the one-party state.
• In 1994 Bakili Muluzi, a Muslim in a Christian dominated country defeated Banda at the polls and began a reform process that included entrenching judicial independence, and freedoms such as press and association.
• A new constitution that provided for an Ombudsman's office, an anti-corruptions bureau was adopted. N
• Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF) were initiated.
• The UDF, which had attracted all sorts of characters, lost popularity as people moved to other parties. Come elections in May 1999, Muluzi could only manage a bare win.
• The second and last constitutional term for Muluzi was a troubled one. Successive droughts left the majority of people starving from 2002-2004.
• Newspapers were a wash with revelations of official corruption.
  The most seriously affected was the ministry of education, where dubious contractors were paid for uncompleted school blocks.
• The Anti-Corruption Bureau Act, was not strong enough to discipline those with connections in powerful places.
• A slow but steady campaign for constitutional amendments for 'Open Term' and 'Third Term' to do away with two consecutive terms was waged. But parliament rejected the amendments. This campaign alienated Muluzi from most of his senior colleagues, who opted out of the party and government.
• Muluzi anointed Bingu Wa-Mutharika, the current president and former international servant of the World Bank and COMESA as his successor. He successfully campaigned for Bingu, propping him as an economic 'engineer'.
• However after a few months the new president complained that the former president wanted to control him. He left the Party.
• Bingu formed the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Many people flocked to it and within a short period DPP won six seats in by-elections therefore becoming a ruling party by default.
• An attempt to impeach Bingu failed due to some gaps in the constitution, which provides for that possibility. Mutharika left the UDF
• It sparked bitter rivalry with Muluzi. Though several attempts have been made by a public watchdog - Public Affairs Committee - PAC, it has failed to reconcile the two.
• Each side accused the other of sparking political tension, and the race to 2009 elections has been unofficially begun.
• Muzuli announced that he intends to run for election.
  as a retired president.
• President Mutharika deployed the Malawi Defence Force to stop a rally from being addressed by former the president in Mulanje, a place seen as Mutharika's stronghold and where the majority of his ethnic kinsmen come from.
• Some chiefs have formed a coalition to lobby fellow chiefs to deny support to the former president.
• Prominent journalist - Gedeon Munthali and Chinyeke Tembo have formed a coalition too - Anti-Muluzi Coalition to mobilise people against Muluzi.
• A constitutional reform programme which started last year entered into second phase this month and a conference to review the 1995 constitutional was recently held.
• The issues to discussed included abolishing of death penalty, a recall provision for non-performing legislators, amendments on the presidency where a former president after completing five year terms should not come back, a president should have a minimum of an academic degree, are some of the hurdles Muluzi has to contend with.
• However, constitutional amendments will have to go to parliament where the combined opposition is capable of upsetting the motions which people see as targeting ', says Billy Mayaya of the Blantyre Synod of the influential Presbyterian Church, explaining the reasons for the referendum.
• An analyst from the University of Malawi, wiseman Chijere Chirwa says Muluzi's comeback is a sign of a leadership crisis in a party-UDF that ruled the country from 1994-2004.
• Muluzi cites arbitrary arrests, and flouting of constitution by Mutharika as his major reasons for comeback.
  

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