Mutharika irritates Livingstonia Synod

Its no longer a secret. The Livingstonia Synod of the CCAP has finally come out in the open expressing disappointment over President Bingu wa Mutharika’s choice of Joyce Banda as his running mate instead of Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe, whose name was at the centre of debate as the likely person to pair up with the DPP leader.

Although in an interview Mutharika’s party the DPP underplayed the sentiments from the Synod a political analyst has said the expression of disappointment by the CCAP clergy is a manifestation of the under currents that Mutharika’s decision has brought in the north a situation that could lead to the party losing its grip in the region.

Sources within the Synod have disclosed that leaders of the clergy from the northern region have ganged up seeking an audience with Mutharika to have him explain why he decided to sideline the north despite the support he has been having from the region.

In an interview this week Livingstonia Synod General Secretary Levi Nyondo did not mince words on Mutharika’s move.

“In general Livingstonia Synod is totally disappointed by what happened. It is clear that even if (Barak) Obama was from the northern region he could not win the elections,” said Nyondo, while refusing to go into details on why the Synod is bitter.

However, he said in as far as the Synod was concerned Gondwe was a performer and competent enough to take up the position of vice president in the country.

“Again it is surprising that all the running mates from all the parties have been chosen from the other regions. It seems all big parties have neglected us. Does it mean that there is no single perfomer in the region,” said Nyondo.

Asked whether the Synod’s sentiments would not fuel regionalism in the country the reverend retorted: “Doesn’t you think by choosing running mates from the other regions and leaving out the north the parties are promoting regionalism already?”

The Secretary General was, however, quick to add that the clergy in the north were not bitter with Banda’s choice but the fact that the running mate did not come from the region as expected by most people from the region.

“As Livingstonia Synod we are not partisan, we work with the government that is in power and that is why we have not come up with a position on the matter. If the president wins we will still support his government,” added Nyondo, while refusing to say if the Synod will take any action against Mutharika as a show of the disappointment.

He, however, confirmed that the Synod is arranging to meet Mutharika but said the meeting has nothing to do with the issue of the running mate saying that as a Synod it accepts that the issue of the running mate was a prerogative of a presidential candidate.

Nyondo said initially members of the clergy from the Synod arranged to meet with Mutharika in Blantyre soon after the president returned from the African Union meeting in Ethiopia but the meeting was cancelled after government had shifted it to Lilongwe.

“Yes, it was us who requested for that meeting and the president accepted but after the changes we requested that he should give us another day. As a Synod we had our own issues especially about development in the region including the accreditation of our Livingstonia University. After meeting as a Synod we will still arrange to meet him,” he said.

A highly placed source within the Synod disclosed that the Synod leaders initially planned to meet the President before he named his running mate and after the media disclosed that Gondwe was among those under consideration.

He said the aim was to lobby for Gondwe’s name and the clergy decided to cancel the meeting after Mutharika picked his running mate before he could meet them.

“There are now mixed feelings amongst the clergy from the Synod whether it is necessary to still meet him after he had already picked somebody else or just to leave the matters as they are,” said the source.

The source said the Synod was bitter because it feels that Mutharika was not being grateful to the people of the north after MPs from the region played an important role in safeguarding his troubled presidency for the past four years.

“All MPs from the region consulted the Synod and the Synod said yes they could go ahead to support him and the region actually declared that the north is DPP,” he said.

After rounds of speculation and debate over who Mutharika would pick amongst Gondwe, Banda and DPP Secretary General Chimunthu Banda, the President surprised the nation when he unveiled Banda as his running on the day he presented his nomination papers to the Malawi Electoral Commission.

The choice of Banda, a fellow southerner as Mutharika, raised mixed feelings with some describing it as a welcome move while others feared that it might lead to discontent among voters from the central and northern region who might feel sidelined by the move.

This is the first time that the Livingstonia Synod has openly expressed disappointment with the move.

However, Chancellor College theologian Patrick Kalilombe said as much as the Livingstonia Synod was free to air out its views and express sentiments on political developments as religious leaders they should be working more at looking at issues from the national view and not regional or partisan.
“As religious leaders they should be more preoccupied with bringing the nation together and not be partial. Their sentiments should be regardless of party or region they belong to, that should come later than who the people want,” he said.

Kalilombe said he regard Mutharika’s move to disregard regional perspective in his choice of running mate as a positive development that would force the nation to drop preoccupations which he said have been bringing the country down.

“Normally we miss out on real national issues because we look at things from the small perspective and not the wider and big picture. Dealing with the question of including women is a step forward and with the 50-50 campaign it is a much more bigger priority than balancing up regional party membership,” said the theologian.

Political analyst Blessings Chinsinga, also from Chancellor College, said although at times the influence of the Synod in the northern region could be over estimated the clergy’s sentiments can mean destruction for the DPP.

“Historically the Livingstonia Synod has had strong influence, but time has now changed, the Synod is not as influencial. It might be too early to say whether this will affect the DPP chances since what would matter is a kind of campaign he (Mutharika) is going to carry out and what others can also do,” said Chinsinga.

He said following the development the DPP might face problems because traditionally people expects that when the presidential candidate comes from one region the running mate should come from either of the two remaining influencial regions.

“Our voting pattern is based on regions and that is a reality. However, this provides the litmus test whether people are ready to rise above such tribalistic and regional politics,” added Chinsinga.

The analyst said Mutharika’s decision was a sign that he was over-confident and looks at himself as an achiever with people voting for him based on what he has achieved in terms of development.

“However, the President has given the other political parties an instrument to fight him in the region, it all depends on how they will capitalize on that. In a country with strong tribal and regional traits someone can easily be destroyed,” said Chinsinga.

Former regional governor for the north who is now Deputy National Campaign Director Harry Mkandawire said he cannot immediately comment on the sentiments from the Synod since he said he was hearing the sentiments for the first time but said the clergy in the region were entitled to their opinion.

“If that’s what they think then let it be,” he said.

Asked whether as someone from the north he is equally disappointed with Mutharika’s choice Mkandawire just said: “As one of the leaders, party discipline demands that like soldiers whatever the leader says we are going to follow. To me whatever, the president is saying is what I will believe in.”

Mkandawire also could not say what impact the president’s choice will have on the DPP support base in the region.

“I am yet to see and we would have until the 19th of May to see that. However, it is our duty as leaders to make sure that whatever decision made should bring the votes from the region,” he added.

DPP spokesperson Hetherwick Ntaba said as a party they do not share the views that a running mate should come from a particular region but that the choice should be based on merit. He said the party sees Banda as fitting the bill.

“Merit is much more important than regional or religious perceptions. Again we feel Honourable Banda as a woman she has an appeal across all the regions,” he said.

Ntaba said the problem was that even if Mutharika picked somebody from the north the central and eastern regions could have been equally disappointed.

“The Synod is entitled to its own views but I have every confidence that the leaders of the Synod will accept our view,” he added.