Even without the distraction of the Chilima-led exodus from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), President Peter Mutharika has a lot on his plate.<\/p>\n
If you ever read the DPP manifesto, look around you and compare the promises therein to the reality today.<\/p>\n
You will see that APM\u2019s score is a big zero.<\/p>\n
Having wasted four solid years making merry and feasting on crap served by his sycophants, he knows that his time is up.<\/p>\n
Since he ain\u2019t a fool, he also knows that with nix to show, many are itching to shoo him out in 337 days to come.<\/p>\n
Trust me, he is not relishing this prospect, hence using this remaining time playing to the gallery in the hope of securing another term of uninhibited corruption, merry-making, unfertile investment forums and incomprehensible speeches.<\/p>\n
Hence the belated hustle and bustle now afoot: a foundation stone here, a ground-breaking ceremony there; shamelessly pirating Siku Motors\u2019 \u201cHere today, There tomorrow\u201d for a modus operandi.<\/p>\n
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)\u2019s Malawi Country Report of June 2018; the glaring incompetence notwithstanding, Mutharika could win in 2019.<\/p>\n
The EIU bases its prediction on several factors including Mutharika\u2019s success in frustrating the electoral reforms, MCP\u2019s failure to stay intact, Saulos Chilima\u2019s lack of grassroots support, and some improvements in the flow of aid.<\/p>\n
This prediction, plus the fact that (a) Malawians can indeed be gullible enough to buy Mutharika\u2019s last minute foundation-stone laying and ground-breaking gimmick, (b) Malawians would in fact not be to blame because the opposition MCP is too happy to fool itself and (c) the new kid on the block – Chilima – doesn\u2019t seem to value time; is why this Talking Blues episode speaks to Chakwera and Chilima.<\/p>\n
Why only these two? Because even today, it is clear that the May 2019 presidential contest will be a three horse race.<\/p>\n
While we cannot rule out spoilers, a normal phenomenon in our country given the unfathomable egos some Malawians have, the pretenders are unlikely to alter the course of the race.<\/p>\n
But before I proceed, let me tell you a story.<\/p>\n
Once upon a time, there was a young boy. Just like the incumbent president from his time as Minister of Education and Minister of Foreign Affairs to the presidency, the lad was good for nothing.<\/p>\n
He was happy to scapegoat everything on everyone. Even for problems 100 percent his creation.<\/p>\n
One day, a well-wisher advised him to consult the great philosopher Socrates.<\/p>\n
The lad sought and found Socrates and asked: \u201cHow can I get wisdom, prosperity, and success?\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Socrates wasn\u2019t one to give straight answers. He responded with a question: \u201cYoung fella, how much do you want the wisdom, prosperity and success?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am ready to do anything to get them!\u201d responded the boy.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome back tomorrow,\u201d Socrates replied.<\/p>\n
On the morrow, the chap duly returned and Socrates led him to a river. When they reached the riverbank, Socrates ordered him to wade in and stand in the river, until instructed otherwise.<\/p>\n
The boy obeyed.<\/p>\n
Then, without warning, Socrates grabbed the boy and thrust him head first into the water. Head under the water, the boy kicked and thrashed about trying to wrestle out of Socrates arms.<\/p>\n
It was to no avail.<\/p>\n
Socrates held the boy\u2019s head in the water for a while. Just about when the boy\u2019s body was about to go limp, he took the semi-unconscious boy out of the water.<\/p>\n
When the boy regained his bearings, Socrates asked him, \u201cWhen you were under the water, what did you want the most?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOxygen,\u201d replied the boy, coughing spurts of water, \u201cI badly wanted oxygen to breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Socrates told him, \u201cThe day you want wisdom, prosperity and success as much as you wanted oxygen when I immersed you in the river, is the day you will get everything you say you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moral of the story and lesson for Chakwera and Chilima: May 2019 belongs to the most determined!<\/p>\n
Blues\u2019 Orators, this is why and how EIU thinks Mutharika will win in 2019. While Chakwera and Chilima can send Mutharika packing, they lack the necessary grit.<\/p>\n
In fact, I am beginning to suspect that Chakwera is just looking forward to another term as a leader of opposition. Looking at him, I see a man who is so satisfied with the good job of hero-worshipping now under the direction of bootlicking \u2018maestro\u2019 Sidik Mia that he views the actual presidency as a fait accompli.<\/p>\n
This explains MCP\u2019s one-step forward two steps backward approach.<\/p>\n
Let me elaborate: the rushed process of MCP\u2019s highly secretive convention fooled me into thinking that MCP is – long at last – serious. But you know what?<\/p>\n
The urgency was all about blocking rivals. Limiting people\u2019s choices Blues\u2019 Orators, is the first big step any party can make to lose elections.<\/p>\n
Coming to Camp SKC: If elections were conducted via Facebook today, Chilima would win with an App-slide.<\/p>\n
Yes, on Facebook, Chilima could win big. However, in the districts and rural areas, apart from Ntcheu, I don\u2019t see how.<\/p>\n
Elections in Africa, if Chilima and his team need schooling, are not won in urban centres nor on Facebook. They are won by bagging votes, millions of them, in the hard to reach rural areas.<\/p>\n
This means Chilima needs enough time to traverse Malawi and take it from me, one or two rallies won\u2019t suffice to convince the rural masses that he is the real deal.<\/p>\n
Chilima needed to have hit the road yesterday.<\/p>\n
Therefore, if Team SKC and Chakwera\u2019s MCP don\u2019t stop defending procrastination, Mutharika will indeed preside over whatever it is that he is presiding on until 2024.<\/p>\n
Going by what we have seen, I wonder if at all anything will be left of Malawi.<\/p>\n
If these two dudes hope to unseat Mutharika, they should reject any advice misleading them that \u201ceasy does it\u201d. Unseating a determined incumbent is not for vacillators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Even without the distraction of the Chilima-led exodus from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), President Peter Mutharika has a lot on his plate. If you ever read the DPP manifesto, look around you and compare the promises therein to the reality today. You will see that APM\u2019s score is a big zero. Having wasted four solid […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":29819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66973"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66976,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66973\/revisions\/66976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}