The daggers are now drawn. The campaign in Malawi has reached its climax. But to many the issue is beyond campaign but minding who puts your bread on the table.
Some chiefs in the country have joined the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) political campaign, openly telling people to vote for the party and its presidential candidate.
The development has however attracted criticisms from members of the civil society as well as other political parties involved in the May 19 elections describing it as unfortunate and a disgrace to the chiefs.
But, both government and the UDF has said to solve the issue of the chiefs getting involved in politics there was need to amend the Chiefs’ Act which talks of chiefs to work to support the government of the day in its development endeavours.
In an interview one of the chiefs Inkosi Yamakosi M’mbelwa who is among those recently openly campaigning for the ruling party admitted that he is campaigning for the DPP saying the current administration has done well to justify the chiefs’ call to their subjects to vote for President Bingu wa Muntharika.
“It is a fact that Bingu has done better and if we compare with the previous administration you can see that he has performed and all what I am doing is telling the people that if we are to continue with the development then they have to vote for the current president,” said Inkosi Yamakosi Mbelwa IV in an interview.
He said to him calling people to vote for a presidential candidate who would assist the country was part of the fulfilment of his responsibilities as a chief.
Mbelwa also said what he is doing was not contradicting the Chief’s Act since he said the Act openly calls for the chiefs not to be partisan but work with the government of the day.
“If some people are worried that I am campaigning for Bingu, let them come into government and do well, I assure them that they will have my support,” he added.
Other chiefs who have come out in the open urging people to vote for the DPP and its candidates also include Traditional Authorities Chikowi of Zomba, Mazengera of Lilongwe, Nyambi and Kapoloma of Machinga. During a DPP campaign rally addressed by Muntharika at Songani Trading Centre Chikowi openly told the gathering that he will woe his subjects to vote for the DPP and its candidates to make sure that the incumbent president wins the May 19 elections.
Mazengera also openly urged people to vote for Muntharika during the launch of the central region DPP campaign at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe. While T/As Nyambi and Kapoloma, speaking to the state radio MBC during a news cast on Wednesday evening, also called on people to vote for the DPP and President Muntharika as a way of thanking him for what he has done for their areas.
The two chiefs were commenting on the newly launched electrification project at Nselema in the district. Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) executive director Undule Mwakasungula described the development as unfortunate and going too far on the part of the chiefs.
“These chiefs are forgetting their roles as custodians of traditions and culture. If there is a change of government what would these chiefs do?” wondered Mwakasungula. He said his organisation recently received complaints from some concerned people and aspirants on the involvement of some chiefs in the campaign trail.
“They even mentioned Inkosi Yas Makosi M’mbelwa that he is going around telling people not to vote for anyone else but Bingu and DPP aspirants,” he added.
Mwakasungula explained that the role of the chiefs during the campaign period is to promote good leadership and point out to people the qualities of a good leader and not to point out a particular individual to be voted for.
He also said in some areas the chiefs are even telling some of the political parties not to conduct rallies in those areas saying the area belongs to a particular political party.
“But that is promoting divisions among Malawians, our chiefs should refrain from such conduct that would polarise and divide the country. If chiefs want to profile individual candidates let them do that to everyone not only a the selected ones,” said Mwakasungula.
He said so far CHRR has embarked on a campaign meeting political leaders as well as chiefs to sensitize them on the chief’s roles in the elections. University of Mzuzu political commentator Noel Mbowela described the behaviour of the chiefs as “very much against the chiefs’ professional code of conduct.”
“We expect the chiefs to be neutral. Let us not forget that they are human beings, they also registered as voters and have their own political affiliations. As such the chiefs are free to to discuss some of the issues but that should be in private and that does not give them a mandate to go in public and tell people who to vote for,” he said.
Mbowela said chiefs in the country are very influential to their subjects and their public declarations can be taken as forcing people who they should vote for.
“This is not only for chiefs but even members of the clergy are not supposed to campaign for a particular party or individuals,” he added.
MCP spokesperson on Parliamentary affairs Ishmael Chafukira said by campaigning for particular political parties and individuals the chiefs are opening themselves for abuse.
“This is very sad but unfortunately the tendency will only make the chiefs subject of verbal attacks by politicians. Chiefs should know that they represent a population comprising of people of different political affiliations,” he added.
UDF Alliance spokesperson Humphrey Mvula said the chiefs behaviour was creating confusion and undermining the traditional leaders’ noble role of leading their subjects.
“If the side which the chief is backing loses it means the chief also loses credibility among his or her subjects,” he said.
Mvula said there was need to clearly define the role and functions of the chiefs through the Chiefs’ Act to delink the chiefs from political manoeuvring.
He said chiefs should be aware that their position are not appointed posts but derive their mandate through heritage and traditions.
“Chiefs are born in the house of chiefs. These people can be provided for by the government of the day through the national budget but that should not be an appendage for them to be partisan,” he added.
Section 12 of the Chiefs Act gives powers to the President to appoint and remove anyone from the office of Paramount Chief, Chief or Sub-Chief.
Minister of Local Government George Chaponda agreed with Mvula saying the chiefs can not be blamed for supporting government since that is provided for in the Act and he said is a practice which both the MCP and the UDF were following when they were in power.
“The Chiefs Act provides that the chiefs have to work with the government of the day to promote development and customary matters. Personally, I haven’t seen chiefs campaigning for political parties but if a chief is at a political rally and say government has performed, these are just facts and not campaigning,” he said.
Chaponda added: “It is the Chiefs Act that clearly promote that partisan and if anything the Act has to be changed to reflect that they are not supposed to work with government. Unfortunately, that will mean that they will not be getting money or housing from government.,” said Chaponda.
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) spokesperson Fergus Lipenga said so far the electoral body has not yet received any complaints from any of the political parties or other stakeholders on the behaviour of the chiefs.
“We had a meeting yesterday and we told the political parties that anyone with a complaint should come to us and we will investigate. If we receive such complaints the commission will decide what to do depending on the findings of the investigations,” he said. Lipenga said the problem was that most of the political parties and stakeholders were just complaining but they are not coming forward to report such complaints to MEC.
