Economics of political power
Political power is addictive. It seems like in Malawi those who have tasted power never want to imagine life without it. Sometimes one is forgiven to think that political power in Malawi is like a viral infection. Science tells us that viruses are very hard to treat because viruses embed themselves into a victim’s cell. Since 1994, Malawi has had five Vice Presidents (six if one includes the Second Vice President position which was given to Mr Chakufwa Chihana. Dr Justin Chimera Malewezi was the first Vice President in the new era of Multi party politics, followed by Dr Cassim Chilumpha, then Mrs Joyce Banda, Mr Khumbo Kachali and the incumbent Dr Saulosi Chilima.
For some reason people who have had this position in Malawi fail to move on after such a position. Dr Malewezi, Dr Chilumpha and Mr Kachali all retired from the VP post and became MPs. The exception in this trend is Mrs Joyce Banda who was the only VP to have succeeded her boss, albeit, through the unfortunate demise of Bingu Mutharika and the dictates of the Malawi constitution. Who knows what will happen to Dr Chilima when the time comes. Being an ordinary person and not a politician it is difficult to understand the attraction of being an MP after being a VP. Perhaps this explains the outburst by Mr Goodall Gondwe in Parliament the other day, reminding members that Mr Kachali should not be called “former Vice President” while in Parliament, since his position in the house is simply an MP. In other words, Mr Kachali is not a “Right Honourable” but simply an “Honourable”. Was the announcement that now Mr Kachali is a president of yet another new political party called Freedom Party a reaction to the vibes by Mr Gondwe?
Then there is the issue of the purported Lower Shire giant, who made a pitch for the position of VP of the Republic of Malawi. Mr Sidik Mia did not tell the nation which party intends to make him VP or put differently which party is willing to meet his challenge and make him one. While speculation is rife that the once Mighty MCP was the suitor, vibes from those within the party have neither confirmed or dispelled these rumours.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Nutcracker believes that just like the virus and the cell, there is a symbiotic relationship between politics, power, and money. Those who are powerful are moneyed, and those who are moneyed are powerful. Both are relentlessly perpetuating the self-serving vicious circle imbedded in this rather shameless occupation. The economics of political power is very intriguing indeed. There are those who people believe that they go into politics for the money. Then there are those who go into politics for the power political positions bring. Another group goes into politics to serve the people and then one cannot rule out that others who supposedly are already with money who go into politics to preserve their wealth and even add more to it. It could also be that others get into political power for different permutations of the various reasons above. No wonder that when those that are considered less rich decide to get into political power, especially when they fortune are down, people conclude that they have been enticed by the power of money. The famous lingua franca is “amuika chi bani mkamwa”.
The just ended Parliament has done nothing to dispel the belief that most of our honourable MPs are indeed more dis honourable than the word itself. The first Deputy Speaker of the House is quoted to have been shocked at the level of attendance of MPs during this sitting. This is even though these MPs get their sitting allowance straight into their bank accounts even before the sitting starts. If some were indeed honourable, they would simply pay back the money they received on the days that they never sat in Parliament. This is not a salary, so the stupid defence that they have many functions and hence they are bound to miss some session is so shallow. These MPs get sitting allowances for them sitting in the chamber during sessions. The other functions are already catered for in their salaries and other allowances. This thievery at its best.
The power of money had dismantled the honourability in the honourable title of MPs. The love for money and power defines the self-interests the political system adopted in 1994. Its impact on the dignity of party politics in the country is surely and increasingly becoming disastrous. The power of money has turned people into commodities to the extent that politicians have become to believe that votes and political support can be transacted for a price. Unfortunately for Malawi it is the voters who will lose out eventually in these times when power is now a function of money, and money is a function of power. This is the unfortunate reality in Malawi’s economics of political power.
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