Dodma’s shift: Could this be another simmering boss-junior tiff?

By Davie MCHINGA:

In politics, nothing happens by accident and it is sheer naivety not to read into President Peter Mutharika’s decision to move the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) from the Office of the Vice President to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC).

This is a dog whistle that must be interpreted and understood in three possible theories. But before that, a quick run through how we got here.

In what seemed like a move to give his deputies clear portfolios, in November President Mutharika delegated First Vice President Jane Ansah to be responsible for disaster prevention and management.

He also assigned Second Vice President Enock Chihana the role of championing the completion of Mombera University in Mzimba. Since then, the two have been hitting the ground running, trying to prove the appointing authority first and the masses second that they can do the tasks.

That was good, so good that it reminded how former President Lazarus Chakwera did in 2020 when he similarly assigned the late vice president Saulos Chilima the task of, among others, steering the reforms agenda. You know how it panned out: Do you need any reminder?

Now back to the dog whistle, first it must be construed or deciphered as a political chess move by Mutharika to disarm Ansah given the recent negative publicity concerning her trip to the United Kingdom.

Unarguably, this has by far been one of the gaffes the Mutharika administration has been trying to fend off. The conflicting information both from the Ansah’s office and Information and the government spokesperson Shadric Namalomba has been disastrous.

In the past three weeks or so, this fiasco has been the talking point by critics of the administration, and it must be said that the dent it has had on the early days of the administration is phenomenal. Perhaps, Mutharika decided to act swiftly to clear out the mist.

Because look, it is Mutharika himself who handpicked Ansah to be running mate, amid silent murmurings from some Mutharika’s own party members, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and certain sections of the Malawian society following Ansah’s handling of the 2019 presidential election which was dismissed by courts.

But could this be enough to warrant Mutharika’s wrath? Certainly not. Possibly, there could be other underlying political fault lines within, which might have necessitated Mutharika to act with speed. It must be reiterated; nothing is accidental in politics.

It is just a matter of time that the real reason (s) Mutharika might have walked back on his commitment. However, the caveat to this is that this is a delegated role and therefore, President Mutharika reserves the right to take, withhold or give it back at any time.

But Mutharika isn’t careless that he would just be playing ping pong on critical matters that have a bearing on his administration’s optics. He was convinced that stripping off the role from his own deputy was the right thing. Will he give it back to her? Nobody knows, but him alone!

Another possible way to decipher this, is that Mutharika might have done this due to the moral agency the office responsible for disaster management has, given the recent floods in Nkhotakota and other districts.

Being the head of that office, her physical presence is significant, and she may not be able to delegate her delegated duties to someone else. Therefore, in his wisdom, President Mutharika might have thought of retaining the power to himself for the time being.

However, the statement by Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi doesn’t say anything to that effect. So, this theory may be wrong in that the President Mutharika has not committed to whether he has taken responsibilities completely.

But one would argue to say that her physical presence isn’t an issue since she can coordinate relief efforts virtually whilst abroad. Well, it could be true, but this is a humanitarian office; one that needs physical contact with victims of natural disasters.

Look, it would be seen as ‘unMalawan’ to hear that the person responsible for disaster management affairs sends wishes virtually. Some people would understand, but other wouldn’t. Remember, this is Malawi! He who cheers you up in time of need is the true friend, so they say.

But the question remains: could her physical absence warrant Mutharika’s action or there is something we do not know, and see? We can only deductively connect the dots, but President Mutharika can answer this question.

Incompetence could be another way to think about this shift. However, this theory could be too good to be true. Look, Madam Ansah was given the task in November, and this is January, just barely two months.

Now, if President Mutharika’s shift is based on Ansah’s ability to do the job, where on earth would you assess someone in such a short period? It is nonsensical by both logic and reason. If she has shown early signs of incompetence, giving her more time would be a better option.

If this theory holds to be true, then President Mutharika might have rushed in making the decision. It is too early to call. This is only if the decision to move the office back to OPC was arrived at due to, among others, competence.

You see, it is hard to tell why Mutharika has moved the office responsible for disaster management affairs because of one reason: discretion. Our constitution gives presidents executive powers to make certain decisions that demands no queries from their subjects.

In this case, therefore, President Mutharika is not obligated to anyone to explain as to why he has made such a decision. He is just within the bounds of the law and we, the people, can only react to this decision.

However way we may think, react or analyse it; it would not prompt him to rescind the decision unless otherwise. Such are the executive powers we confer upon the person we vote for as president every five years.

That being said, if President Mutharika’s decision is anything but a way to continue the merry-go-round about the relationship between the President and their deputy; spare Malawians for another furore. They have had enough, please!