Political squabbling takes precedence over rising food insecurity

Malawi's political crisis hit a new low this week with the arrest of vice-president Cassim Chilumpha on corruption charges, igniting a new round of squabbling among the country's leaders. The arrest was connected to a financial scandal during his time as minister of education, but is also being perceived as linked to the feud between President Bingu wa Mutharika and his former party, which is seeking to impeach him. As the country's political elite continued to trade threats and insults, Malawians interviewed by IRIN said they were fed-up by the crisis undermining government at a time when more than a third of the country's 12 million people were facing food shortages as a result of a crippling drought. "Let the guy rule and finish his term. We have a number of problems in this country - there is hunger at the moment and we have HIV/AIDS in our midst. Let the politicians concentrate on them," said civil servant Angelah Mbalame. Dismayed by the power struggle between Mutharika and his predecessor, Bakili Muluzi, who leads the United Democratic Front (UDF) and handpicked Mutharika as the party's presidential candidate in 2004, foreign envoys stepped in last week and asked the opposition to drop the impeachment charge. The opposition, which on paper has a majority in parliament, is accusing Mutharika, a former technocrat, of illegally using taxpayers' money to launch his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which holds no parliamentary seats. "I am not a UDF nor DPP [the president's party] supporter, but I feel it is wrong for the UDF to get into government through the back door. The reasons that they are advancing against impeaching the president are not valid," said Mbalame. Christopher Mhango, 25, who runs a second-hand clothing business, was also critical of the UDF's determination to oust Mutharika. "During the [election] campaign Muluzi asked us to vote for an economic engineer, which we did. Why is it that the very same person we were told to vote for, the party now says is no good? I believe Mutharika should be left to rule and concentrate on his development plans," said Mhango. Mutharika, who throughout the election campaign was portrayed by the opposition as Muluzi's puppet, fell out with his mentor soon after assuming office, when he launched an anti-corruption campaign that snagged several senior UDF officials. At the main market in the capital, Lilongwe, Yusuf Ibrahim, a vendor from the southern UDF stronghold of Machinga, was scathing about Mutharika. "I agree with those MPs who want the president impeached. He has cheated us, the UDF supporters, and impeaching the president is the only way out of these political squabbles." Another stall owner, James Sitolo, who also identified himself as a UDF supporter, said the ballot box should settle the dispute when Mutharika's term expired in 2009. "If we are not happy with his administration, we will have the chance to vote him out. What the politicians are doing will just create political instability, and this is dangerous," he warned.