By Durell Namasani
There is a cruel rhythm to the political seasons in Malawi. Every few years, President Peter Mutharika goes shopping for a Vice President, plucking a respectable figure from obscurity, only to later leave them isolated in the cold. His current treatment of Vice President Jane Ansah is not just political mismanagement; it is a tragic rerun of the same movie we watched with Saulos Chilima.
Let us be clear about Mutharika’s pattern. History records that he pulled Chilima from the corporate world, a fresh face with no political baggage. Years later, he repeated the trick by picking Ansah—an academic and judge—from relative obscurity to be his running mate. Even Chimulirenji was famously elevated from a roadblock.
The President has a habit of wanting a Vice President who looks good on paper but remains silent in practice. But the problem with picking competent people is that they eventually want to work. And that is where Mutharika’s administration always breaks down.
The strong bond between Mutharika and Ansah has evaporated. What remains is a relationship held together by political super glue, with cracks widening by the day. The Vice President has become a loner, sidelined in a role that constitutionally relies on the President delegating duties. By all accounts, Ansah’s primary function these days is to occupy a pew at church services on Sunday.
It is no secret that Ansah is not a fully-fledged politician. She is an academic thrust into the bear pit. But sadly, the Mutharika presidency appears captured by a shadowy circle of gatekeepers. Malawians whisper a common secret: the President is not fully in charge. A few names close to the inner sanctum are calling the shots, reducing the Vice President to a ceremonial footnote.
What makes this infuriating is the deja vu. Mutharika went through this exact hell with Chilima. The two had a spectacular falling out, leading to a fractured government. After the dust settled, Mutharika confessed publicly that he knew there were “professional liars” whose specific job was to ensure the President and his Vice always fell out.
If Mutharika knows the shenanigans exist, why is he falling for them again?
Let’s not beat about the bush. The President has the power to end these rumors today. He can start delegating duties to Ansah. He can let her lead Cabinet meetings. Instead, we are witnessing the humiliation of a Vice President being sidelined while a mere Cabinet minister sometimes presides over Cabinet sessions. That is not governance; that is public disrespect.
The DPP gurus are operating from a place of deep paranoia. The ghost of Joyce Banda—who ascended to the presidency after the death of Bingu Mutharika—haunts every decision. The inner circle looks at Peter Mutharika’s advanced age and fears a repeat, so they sideline Ansah to prevent her from building a power base.
But this is nonsense. Mutharika himself has said repeatedly that old age does not mean death is imminent. To handicap the Vice President and rob the nation of her potential contributions based on irrational fear is an act of sabotage against the people of Malawi.
Peter Mutharika claims to know the saboteurs. Yet by allowing Ansah to wither on the vine, he proves he has learned absolutely nothing.
