MITT ROMNEY ENDORSED AS PRESIDENT

Let us cease this opportunity to endorse who we believe will triumph during the November 6 US Elections.

We share affiliation with many media institutions including the Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel that MITT ROMNEY is an ideal choice to lead the world's most powerful nation.

This is the first of our endorsements as we head towards similar initiatives in Sierra Leone on November 17, Ghana on December 7 and South Korea on December 17.

Once again Patriots Forum endorse Mitt Romney for the Presidency

CAN LESTON MULLI'S BOOTS SAVE NOEL MASANGWI?

The day when police picked up suspects in the Robert Chasowa case, many people guessed rightly that one of the daily papers will use “ARRESTED” as their headline.

As predictable as they have become, indeed one paper did just that. However, one thing that people would not have guessed was the set of pictures that were going to accompany the story.

The Nation photojournalist, James Chimpweya, caught it all through the lens. 

One of the suspects, Noel Masangwi, being escorted into Police Southern Region Headquarters at Chichiri.

Looking tensed, Masangwi was accompanied by a host of people including his lawyer Kalekeni Kaphale.

At this juncture I think you know what this story is missing.

There is a guy leading the way into the police facility. He is dressed in Khaki attire and military-like boots. His name is and has always been Leston Mulli.

The picture shows the once mighty businessman in a militant stance as if he is saying “let me lead the way for you”

Friendships in their order, I think Mulli did not calculate his game very well here.

Not only does his attire fall short of any militancy (it’s more of a game ranger than what he might have intended), it also speaks volumes of a man who throws himself into a coil of a murder case as if he was also implicated in it.

For Kaphale, those are millions of kwachas trekking into his account. For Salule and Ted, they went there to support their younger brother. For Mulli, it might be two things; friendship or defiance towards the authorities.

Since the new government came into power, Mulli has been playing noisy by insinuating that he is being victimized by being denied business opportunities. He thinks government is deliberately stifling him. I beg to differ; this is one guy who was used to cutting corners as such he should blame his lost pair of scissors not government for his predicament. 

In my opinion, Leston Mulli would have toned down his demeanor by dressing appropriately for such an occasion, let alone staying in the background of events because this issue is delicate and sensitive.  

Others have tried it before and they have failed. Remember Bakili Muluzi drawing crowds during the early stages of his corruption case? How long did it take for the sympathizers to develop fatigue and stop escorting him to and from court?

It is obvious that having escorted Masangwi into police custody, the militant Mulli travelled back to his comfortable mansion to worry about his diminishing business empire while Masangwi was being led to a stinking place infested with mosquitos and louse. 

My message to all DPP supporters who thronged Chilomoni Police station and Blantyre Magistrate Court is that they can concentrate on fruitful ventures rather than wasting their precious time with a situation they cannot change.  

This is a murder not political case and Masangwi and his lawyers know that. Robert Chasowa did not deserve to be butchered and as Malawians we can all agree on that. 

For now Masangwi might rely on Mulli’s boots but that is not where his survival lies. Let justice prevail

WILL PETER MUTHARIKA AND PRESIDENT JOYCE BANDA SPLIT THE CHURCH VOTE?

I hear that Peter Mutharika (or Arthur Peter Mutharika as you like to call him) sat comfortably in one corner of the church session meeting.

To him, the deal was done and what remained was confirmation from the church’s politburo.

The inquisitive church elders and deacons listened attentively as the pastor intimated about Mutharika’s intention to join St Michael and All Angels CCAP Church.

The listening was an easy task for the church leaders but their comfort zone was shifted when the Moderator opened the floor so that they would ask Mutharika questions of any kind in regards to his spiritual life.

I hear the room was silent for about a minute up until one elder stood up and looked straight at Peter.

“Sir, please give us an assurance that you will be a dedicated member of this church”,

“Yes, I will be”, that was Peter answering.

“No Sir, we need you to clarify your stand”, the elder insisted.

I hear that Peter answered but that is not the gist of this post today.

Prior to this session meeting, we had seen Peter Mutharika coming frequently for church services.

Be reminded that this was at the height of Bingu wa Mutharika’s rule when Peter was probably the most powerful cabinet minister. His motorcades were presidential in nature and sometimes he even used the presidential chopper for his endeavors.

We had anticipated that he was going to go through catechumen class as is always the case with new comers. (I even contemplated on joining catechumen as a teacher so as to have a privilege of teaching him)

I hear that as we waited, Peter was attending special classes supervised by the church Moderator. (Why the fast track? I don’t know)

Let me confess, I have never seen Peter again at church since his brother kicked the bucket but I know that on paper he remains a member of St Michael and All Angels church.

Coincidentally, I know that President Joyce Banda is a women’s guild member at St Columba CCAP. I have seen the president on numerous occasions attending church both at her church and St Michael and All Angels.

Just this week, she attended the Blantyre Synod Women's conference at St Michael and All Angels Multipurpose Hall. 

I know that she started attending church even before she was president, let alone a cabinet minister. I know that she remains dedicated to the affairs of the church to date.

One thing I don’t know is how St Columba and St Michaels and All Angels will nurse the facts that they have two presidential aspirants in the 2014 Elections.

For starters, the two metropolis churches have always been at loggerheads in so many aspects. They boast of the country’s crème de la crème within the cross section of their membership. 

I don’t know if it is by design that they hold Paper Sundays on the same day but what happens on those days prove the egos that the two hold. 

On such days, elders from both sides will exchange calls just to find out how much their friends are raising as the functions progress. (I have vague figures but I know that they both hit over K5 million per event)

Coming back to President Joyce Banda and Peter Mutharika; will the two churches end up leaning towards their candidates in a sympathy vote? As a communicant member of St Michaels' I have strong doubts if Peter will sway the latent vote within his church due to his inactivity and other factors.

We are not talking about big numbers here. Each church has a membership of about 3000 but let us remember that a single vote counts in any political election.

It, however, remains unknown if Peter is coming back to St Michaels.

May be the church elder’s question needed a clear answer indeed.          

INSULTING JOYCE BANDA IS UTTER FOOLISHNESS

I write this post while thinking about a friend of mine, Justice Mponda, who is somewhere in Lilongwe under police custody. 

I have known Justice for quite some time and his personal conduct has always been impressive. He is charming and knows how to reach out to anyone.

For sure, I also liked his passion for writing fashion stories (a thing that has earned him many female admirers over the years)

Today I stand helpless to figure out why Justice, with his bright career would fall into the pangs of some selfish politicians so as to fabricate stories that have so many implications in them.

Just for a start, I for one do not hold enough respect for Malawi Voice (an online publication that has landed Justice in hot soup)

Sometime back on a day that KFC (Malawi’s newest up-market eatery) opened, I was somewhere in Blantyre Central Business District. The day was normal by all standards and the opening ceremony did not eat into people’s attention. 

It therefore took me by surprise the following day to read on Malawi Voice that President Joyce Banda was the guest of honor during the KFC function.

The report, which mentioned KFC as Kantata Fried Chicken instead of Kentucky Fried Chicken,  went on to attack the State President that she attends trivial events at the expense of national issues.

At the said time, President Joyce Banda was attending to some business somewhere in Chiradzulu and it was one of his ministers, John Bande who attended the function.

Why on earth would someone fabricate such a story without displaying a trait of shame?

Now I wonder why several institutions including the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) are making noise about this. Have they really taken a moment to cross check the facts (or let's call them lies) being propagated by Malawi Voice?

MISA Chief, Anthony Kasunda believes that if anyone is aggrieved by the conduct of any journalist they should first seek redress or clarification from them before taking action.

I beg to differ, journalists are citizens first before they are career people and anything they do against the laws of the land should be dealt with in uniformity with all other citizens. 

I will not drag myself into politics at this stage but I strongly believe that any kind of authority must be respected, no matter what.

That is why I never dared hit back at my teacher in primary school when he caned me almost on weekly basis (Nothing about troublemaking here, the man just hated me).

Even if one is not patriotic enough, there is no need to drag the name of the Head of State to such contempt.

Let Joyce Banda rule. If she fails then let us judge her for that; not fabricating stories to tarnish her image through artificial means. 

I for one would love to see Joyce Banda succeed as President, a stand I would take for any serving President.     

This is why I am not moved when people like Professor Chijere Chirwa call our President “unsophisticated”. I just want her to be a leader not somebody sophisticated.

Even when Kapito raises his 10 point plan, not even a single hair on my head would move. To me Kapito’s noise is sometimes misplaced and too personalized for my liking.

A piece of advice to fellow Malawians; if you don’t like any sitting president, just wait for the ballot to cement your stand. 

Insulting our President for cheap propaganda is not a good thing at all.

We can do better in helping JB rule this country. She deserves respect.

MLOMBWA AND MULLI: WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO FOOL?

Indigenous Business Association of Malawi (IBAM) is surely one organization with some considerable noise without much substance. Lately, the association has commented on any other issue that affects how government treats local business persons in the country. However, their tears do not impress me in any sense. 

For goodness sake, when did IBAM start and who are the members? And how would a club of five close friends claim to represent all indigenous business people in the country?

Funny enough, every time it comes in the limelight it is only represented by two people; Mike Mlombwa and Leston Mulli.

Years ago when the South Africa government was intensifying the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy, Mlombwa got excited and demanded that our government to follow suit.

Sound minds raised queries to Mlombwa’s assertions because of his narrow mindedness on the issue. How would you really copy and paste the BEE across two different scenarios with completely different political and social dynamics? He had and still has no capacity to explain himself.

If IBAM really wants to be taken seriously then they must mobilize and court a host of members to make the institution credible enough.

To me, Mlombwa and Mulli’s unceasing cry for more business opportunities remains an insult to many people.

Are they making noise just because the tables have turned from blue to orange ?

Wasn’t it Mulli who facilitated the fear that Bingu instilled in the lives of innocent Malawians through violence? 

Does Mlombwa forget how he impolitely and mercilessly snatched away one of his vehicles from Khumbo Kachali during a PAC meeting a month before God loved Bingu more than we did? Reason being that, he did not want Bingu spies to see an opposition personality driving a Countrywide vehicle.

I do not buy the notion that IBAM should be taken seriously by any government; local or national. Let them speak because they have the freedom to do so but we demand proof of seriousness so that our trust can be placed in the right perspective.

Two pieces of advice to Mulli and Mlombwa. Either, make IBAM credible or stop speaking using a platform that is nothing but void.    

JOYCE BANDA SHOULD REALLY FEAR TEMBO'S ANTICS

I woke this morning and saw an article on one of the local online publications that government intends to introduce and enact a bill called E-Bill. This they say will help regulate online publications. The story has mentioned several publications and I breathed a sigh of relief because it omitted blogs. We are safe in the meantime for sure.

Let me hasten to today’s topic before they enact this bill in the middle of my writing.

Long ago during my primary school days, we were naively made to believe that John Zenasi Ungapake Tembo is an enigma of some sort. Those days, people referred to him as someone who has no heart and would gladly take away human life as he wishes.

I remember one of my primary school teachers made a sarcastic remark to say “I f you continue being a naughty class, I will call upon Tembo to deal with you” (This was during the transition period when Tembo and friends had ceased being political immortals).

Later on, I attended one rally by AFORD founder, late Chakufwa Chihana, who (in Julius Malema style) chanted “Ife ndife AFORD, tangoona Jekete la Tembo lang’ambika kunsana”

Then, there was the most shocking story about Tembo, among my cronies we heard and believed that Tembo is omnipresent. Not only that; we also heard and believed that at his Dedza house he is human from the waist up; snake from the waist down. Shaaa, really? It got me so scared.

These stories made me so inquisitive about John Tembo such that I really wanted to meet him in person. (I wanted the human part only not the snake)

My moment came in January 2009 at his Nyambadwe residence and there are three things he said that I vividly remember.

One; while commenting on a colleague we travelled with, Tembo said

“You are very beautiful, are you from Nsanje?

The lady said no to which Zenasi continued

“I am asking because women from Nsanje are very beautiful” (Whatever Tembo meant I still failed to grasp)

Two; Tembo told us that Kamuzu loved women. He laughed about it and quickly reversed his utterance saying “I mean he loved to treat all women well”

Three; as we were admiring his beautiful lawn facing the highly populated Mbayani Township he said “I love this view because it makes me connected with my people. For me I feel like I live in Mbayani not Nyambadwe. I love associating with the people” 

(I wonder if people in Nyambadwe don’t matter to Tembo)

Upon leaving his residence my mind registered one thing. This man is not omnipresent or a half snake but he has a way of choosing his words and actions cautiously and cunningly.

Look at how silent he has become after the Joyce Banda regime started making some mistakes. He believes in the rule of silence while listening to what the masses are saying. 

People are comparing him to Zambia’s Michael Sata who won the elections after caretaker President Rupiah Banda failed to govern convincingly. 

John Tembo might believe that this can also happen in Malawi. No wonder he is playing hide and seek on the issue of running for Presidency in 2014.

I don’t have a conclusive stand on this but one thing I surely know is that Joyce Banda should not trust Tembo antics. 

Just as my childhood perception presented him as half human, half snake, John Zenasi Ungapake Tembo will remain half pro-Joyce Banda and half traitor.