John Kapito of Cama says he is not surprised that Joyce Banda lost the elections because she was an absent president”,: “She was always outside the country and could hardly follow issues happening back home. She failed to touch base with domestic issues.” laments Kapito.
Chikavu Nyirenda, a leading political analyst, said: “She neglected to look at the local scene but spent a lot of time to please the west and promote herself.”
Malawians had many expectations that “she would change the way of doing business, but she incorporated too many recycled politicians who had nothing new to offer”, Nyirenda added.
“Malawians have voted with their feet and shown her a red card. She lost the plot because she did not deal with the concerns of the people. Food security and simply giving handouts was not the solution.”
He suggested that Banda’s removal from office would “enable Malawi to take off on a new trajectory. It’s like a purging and a breath of fresh air.”
Preliminary results give Mutharika a clear lead in the disputed election. Should he win, the corruption scandals could be turned against Banda in the form of prosecution, trial and even imprisonment. It will be payback time, after Mutharika and five other ministers were arrested and charged with treason for trying to block her ascent.
