Drive to eliminate corruption brings division

President Bingu wa Mutharika's drive to rid Malawi of high-level corruption has opened up deep divisions within the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party, according to political observers. Since assuming power in May this year, Mutharika has made good on his election promise to tackle graft, earning praise from donors and opposition parties for his efforts. "There is no way I can rule the same way my predecessor was ruling - I have a different style from his," Mutharika said in response to reports that some top UDF members were irked by their exclusion from key posts in the newly formed government. "Some people want to be in the cabinet for life, and because they have not been included in my cabinet they are not happy," the new president said. Compared to former president Bakili Muluzi, who was often chided for his bloated government, Mutharika began his tenure with a leaner cabinet. His role as a corruption buster was underlined when his administration recently arrested three top ruling party officials. The three were the newly appointed UDF publicity secretary, Humphrey Mvula, charged with corruption and tax evasion at the state-run Shire Bus Lines, the party's secretary-general, Kennedy Makwangwala, charged with damaging property belonging to an independent MP, and Salim Bagus for tax evasion. Bagus, who served as a cabinet minister under Muluzi, is now the UDF's organising secretary. Mutharika, a surprise choice as the UDF's candidate for the 2004 elections, was seen as Muluzi's final attempt to influence the future of Malawian politics after increasing pressure by civil society forced him to abandon his bid for a third term. However, analysts point to Mutharika's apparent about-turn on Muluzi. During the election campaign Mutharika promised to protect the former president but recently told journalists he had been misquoted and would not protect anybody as long as "it is proved that they are corrupt". Last week the director of public prosecutions, Ishmael Wadi, ordered the Malawi Revenue Authority to impound all the UDF vehicles registered in Muluzi's name. Under the Presidents' Salaries and Pension Act, the president is exempt from paying duty on any item purchased for personal use, but according to Wadi, the 111 vehicles Muluzi bought were not for personal use and the ex-president is said to have avoided the duty. Last week a planned demonstration by a group of UDF parliamentarians to protest against Mutharika's "political witch-hunting" following the arrests of top UDF officials, failed to take place. While political observers say the ongoing debate among the country's politicians is a sign of a maturing democracy, donors prefer to focus on Mutharika's push for greater transparency in government. "All the political parties in Malawi are in a learning process. The divisions within the ruling UDF can be described as healthy or unhealthy for our young democracy: unhealthy because political parties in Malawi have to date not planted intra-party democracy - any dissenting view is not taken on board," the Director of the Institute for Policy Interaction, Rafiq Hajat, told IRIN. "On a positive note, this shows a change in the people's attitudes and vision: having different views in a political party is healthy." Edge Kanyongolo, a law lecturer at Chancellor College, said the debate would deepen democracy in the country, but raised concerns over ongoing political instability. "Donors are like investors - they become extremely nervous about political instability," he said. The European Union (EU) press officer, Anita Deppe, said the political infighting in the UDF was "none of our concern".