Recycled politicians old habits never die

While in Malawi recycled politicians are highly valued and regarded as political assets, they have one huge setback which even haunts their sponsors. The problem is that their malevolent old habits refuse to die even if they change parties.

It is not strange that the same politicians who were buying yellow paint to dye UDF Young Democrats yellow during the UDF regime, were recently buying blue paint to dye the DPP Youth Cadets blue. Today the same recycled politicians are buying orange paint for the People Party’s boys.

The vices of recycled politicians are not only limited to abusing the youth by painting them different colours or even arming them with panga knives, but also to milking the not-so-clever entrepreneurs and tycoons who foolishly believe that political linkages can earn them multi-million kwacha government contracts without realising that they remain victims of politicians and their sucking parasites forever.

Though a comprehensive research has not yet been instituted, most pointers show that most recycled politicians are the ones who make presidents and their administrations unpopular. If today some professionals are losing their jobs without any tangible reason, just know that behind the scenes, there is recycled politician calling the shots. If people are being arrested on trumped up charges, just bear in mind that recycled politicians are at work. If all of a sudden, hoodlums are milking the government by being given millions in the name of compensation, just know that recycled politicians are at work.

At the just ended weekend, the ugly work of recycled politicians was conspicuous at a cultural function which President Joyce Banda attended in Mzimba on Saturday. Instead of celebrating with the Ngoni of Mzimba at their fifth Umtheto Annual Cultural Festival at Hora Mountain Heritage Centre, recycled politicians decided to use their minions and the police to chase the host MP, Mzimba Hora’s Christopher Ngwira, from attending the function.

What is distressing is that Ngwira contributed towards the organisation of the event while the ones behind his chasing never spent a penny on the function. We strongly condemn the overzealous party officials who were behind the chasing of Ngwira from Umtheto ceremony, which actually took place in his own constituency. Time is ripe that politicians should differentiate between a political party meeting and a cultural function.

Umtheto should be regarded as cultural function it has always been. This Ngoni ceremony should be seen as unifying factor among the Ngonis. Chasing a parliamentarian just because he does not belong to the political grouping which has become a ruling party by accident is unacceptable and should be condemned.

Let sanity prevail among politicians that there is nothing wrong with politicians from different political parties attending a cultural function. Let us believe in cultural unity in political