The Tribune (Blantyre)
26 December 2008
Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika’s continued persecution of his opponents through politically-motivated arrests coupled with his sustained violation of the Malawi Constitution is a demonstration that he is revolving into a failed and insecure dictator, analysts have said.
Canadian based political commentator Tom Likambale commenting on Mutharika’s performance over the past four years says when it comes to arresting political opponents, the president will go down in history as a failed leader on issues of rule of law and respect for the basic human rights.
"Mutharika exemplifies the caricature of a discredited, insecure tin-pot dictator who prides himself on self-proclaimed, alleged economic progress for his country; whilst he damns the torpedoes on the rule of law and basic civil and political (human) rights of Malawi’s citizens, particularly his political opponents - just so he may stay in power as long as possible," charges Likambale, who was once hunted by security officials when he visited Malawi to see his parents.
The analyst bemoans that by using criminal justice system against those he regards as his enemies, Mutharika simply demonstrates that he is an insecure personality who does not understand the trite lesson that the state criminal justice machinery is not for political persecution of enemies.
Likambale is not alone in observing that Mutharika is on the path to dictatorship as even the senior founding members of Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have similar concerns.
New Republican Party vice-president Ken Zikhale N’goma who served as Mutharika’s first State House Chief of Staff recently told the media that the President is copying President Robert Mugabe’s autocratic style of leadership.
"Government is intimidating the opposition. Its oppression and the style of leadership is similar to that of Mugabe," said Zikhale who once was a close confidante of Mutharika.
He added: "Malawi is drifting to a dictatorship and we are moving towards scenario of Mugabe regime. Freedom of expression has been deleted deliberately."
Malawi’s People’s Party (MPP) president Uladi Mussa who served as Agriculture Minister and vice president of the ruling DPP before he got the chop does not mince words in branding Mutharika as an emerging dictator.
"Malawi is sliding into a dictatorship because Mutharika administration is using scare tactics against leaders of opposition so that we can stop conducting political meetings in the run up to the general elections," said Mussa, who was instrumental in the formation of Mutharika’s DPP.
"Government is effecting more arrests to opposition politicians to sow panic and intimidate us. This is the same tactic that Mugabe is notoriously known for," he said.
Besides political analysts and those who founded the DPP, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president John Tembo, who is also leader of opposition in parliament also describes Mutharika as a dictator.
"Mutharika is a dictator, but people don't seem to realize that. In fact, without our (opposition) efforts, Malawi would have been reeling from the worst dictatorships…. and I have no apologies to make for that," the media quoted Tembo as saying when Mutharika threatened to close Parliament early this year.
The opposition leader said that though DPP government is a minority, Mutharika still maintains marks of a dictator.
Commenting on the same University of Malawi’s political analyst Blessings Chinsinga is also on record to have told The Nation newspaper that Mutharika’s major deficit has been his disregard for the Constitution.
"A quick reflection on how he has faired gives the impression that Bingu has miserably failed in almost all the spheres of rule of law, respect of the Constitution, political tolerance among others," he said.
But what has Mutharika been saying when accusations are being leveled against him that he is a dictator?
"You can call me a dictator but I want to bring discipline in the country," Mutharika said in July this year when he was on collision course with Parliament over the issue of Section 65 versus the budget.
Mutharika is also on record as having said that: "If you call me a dictator so be it! I would rather be called a dictator while protecting my people! I am not doing this for political reasons but I am concerned with the welfare of my people."
While some observers believe that Mutharika is revolving into a dictator, others say that he has known to be a dictator for many years, citing his conduct at the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (Comesa).
Citizens Committee on Democracy (CCD) executive director Veronica Mashangu says the revelations of a damning 1995 audit report on the activities of Mutharika when he was Comesa Secretary General gives a lot of insight on his dictatorial tendencies.
Mashangu says the report places Mutharika in context as regards his conduct as President of the Republic of Malawi because there are several parallels that can be drawn between conduct and performance levels at Comesa and Malawi.
"Reading the report confirms that old habits and vices are so fully formed and ingrained in the President to the extent that they have become second nature and that it is impossible for him to adapt to changed circumstances such as becoming president in a democratic country. Simply put, President Mutharika has a history of plunder and theft that he has carried over into his new job," Mashangu told the media recently.
"Fourteen years ago, Mutharika was greedy, a globe-trotter; a man who did not listen to anyone and went ahead to betray Muluzi and everyone who helped him ascend to power in 2004. The tape of his life is unwinding the past and turning it into the present," she was quoted as saying.
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