FEATURE ARTICLE - THE PRICE FOR ASSOCIATING WITH MULUZI

The price for associating with Muluzi By Ananiya Alick Ponje In his article titled ‘A beautiful flame that kills’ which appeared in The Nation of July 16, 2007, Mzati Nkolokosa made a very clear evaluation of what happens to individuals that have at a certain point worked with the former head of state Mr. Bakili Muluzi. He described the politician as being so attractive, an irresistible, little flame that attracts moths while in real sense it is a flame that suffocates and all who do not realise early enough, die. This former head of state will indeed go down the annals of Malawi politics as a politician whose greater contribution in the political circles has been propelling the downfall of others. There might only be only a few people who really detect this kind of Muluzi’s contribution in politics. The man was firstly considered as a very significant lot in Malawi politics during the one-party-to-multiparty political transition when he fought fervently against the one party government and emerged the president of the country. Of course there were many other brave men and women who fought for a good cause and were very central to the democratic transition, but after assuming power, Muluzi practically chose to tramp over their images. These are fighters who, many believe should have been the first to rule Malawi in the country’s democracy, but the former head of state fought so much for his own self-recognition which he thought would not come forward if other names were also vivid that he almost thrust the names of people like Chakufwa Chihana and Rose Chibambo into the mist of history. Then after Muluzi assumed power from Dr. Kamuzu Banda, he started to associate with individuals who mostly were supposed to hold different positions in his administration where they would serve him and not necessarily in their respective capacities. Those who served in their respective capacities without necessarily serving him are the ones who at least still survive politically to this day. But those who ultimately associated with him, and him alone, faced a lot of challenges as long as their political careers were concerned. Only a few who realised quickly that the man has so much intelligence when the destruction of others’ political careers is concerned were spared the wrath of the former head of state. There appears to be something peculiar about associating with Muluzi, the self-acclaimed political engineer, whose politics lack principles and sound ideologies which are essential for politics in a democratic regime. Individuals who mostly suffer by virtue of associating with Muluzi might have never realised they were associating with a deadly man. Some politicians who are conspicuously missing from the political scene or will soon be missing and are disappearing into the mist of time because of associating with Muluzi in very intimate ways are: Kwauli Msiska, Gwanda Chakuwamba, Sam Mpasu, Maxwell Milanzi and the recent ones are clement Stambuli and John Tembo, among many others. At one point or always, these people tried their damnedest to please Muluzi but their reciprocated price ignited by the former head of state is their terrible downfalls. Kwauli Msiska came into the limelight after he spearheaded Muluzi’s open term bid which would allow him to bounce back after ruling this country for a maximum of 10 years. The guy became very infamous for the same and what followed was his exit from the political scene and now very little or nothing at all is heard of him. Then there is Gwanda Chakuwamba, a once very great politician whose survival from the Kamuzu administration was of profound significance to the Malawi Congress Party that time since he never gave up even after losing in the 1999 general elections. But the lower shire man, who is now in the fishing industry, made the biggest political blunder when he thought of associating with Muluzi. The same happened with other politicians, even those whose political careers had just been blossoming like Lucius Banda. The Balaka based music icon was so much controlled by Muluzi that he even did what was considered as the worst in Parliament, just to please such a dangerous master. Other victims of Muluzi’s destroying magic like Sam Mpasu and Maxwell Milanzi also made blunders by being too loyal to the former head of state at one point in time. They almost worshiped the ground Muluzi walked on, yet what he had in store for them was a terrible sword threatening to destroy their political careers and the sword swept just in time before they could escape. The recent victims of Muluzi’s destroying-associates’ proficiency are conspicuously Clement Stambuli and John Zenus Ungapake Tembo. With Stambuli, it might be understandable since his association with Muluzi was never clearly defined other than allegiance to the chairman of the party. The young politician tried to frustrate a number of the previous government’s programs just to please Muluzi and what followed was his constituents’ loss of confidence in him. But when it comes to honourable Tembo, one loudly wonders whether the 35 plus years the man has been in politics have not taught him anything, including something about Muluzi’s ability to propel the downfall of his associates. This is where the real folly of humankind in politics is detected. How could the central region politician, out of all the political experience he has, fail to recognize a subsequent fall which comes as a result of associating with Muluzi? Tembo should have known Muluzi’s true implications on a politician’s career since he had ever worked with the Kapoloma man some time in the Kamuzu administration. Even if the once central region political maestro did not recognize how dangerous Muluzi is in the Kamuzu era, he should have recognized it during the former head of state’s past 15 years of politics. Now Tembo associated with Muluzi by forming a coalition that was aimed at removing Mutharika from power. Tembo thought he shared the same aspirations with Muluzi, not knowing that Muluzi wanted that if it was UDF’s loss, it should be MCP’s loss as well and if it was MCP’s win it should be UDF’s win as well. Tembo had a shock of his life when his partner-in-politics immediately congratulated Mutharika even when the official results from the Electoral Commission were not out. Muluzi never agreed with Tembo to concede defeat. That is the character of the Machinga man: he can easily propel the fall of others. And now Tembo is tittering on the blink of complete downfall. Above all, he has already fallen enough for his desire to rule Malawi will never come to pass. His political future is now fraying around the edges, yet he was, just recently, one of the biggest politicians in Malawi. Such is the price for associating with Muluzi. One needs to be aware of Muluzi, otherwise most people who associate with him end like curtains. The Kapoloma man himself has stood upright for quite a long time despite fuelling the downfall of many politicians. He might deem himself as a very influential man who causes the end of others’ political careers without falling himself. But for him as well there is a price to pay. He is unconsciously set to cause his own downfall. After the ‘good gestures’ which he showed soon after the elections which even earned him the title of statesman, the former head of state appealed against the constitutional court’s ruling which barred him from contesting in the elections. This is an unconscious move towards his downfall. There is a hidden agenda in his pursuit which he is not conscious about and it will culminate in his fall. He is going to cause his own downfall after causing many to fall. Or are his lawyers the ones to cause Muluzi’s downfall? Whatever the case, there is a price for him as well.