Therefore, whilst the opposition challenged the legitimacy of the Electoral Commission's decision, the show had to go on in the name of continuity. But by the same token the Chief Justice had sealed the issue for the, opposition by the swearing in. As Malawi's judiciary track record has shown, who dares reverse their chief's decision? While one might have thought this ( assuming a figurehead role) could have been done in a low key, awaiting court's decision. Malawi's globe-trotting state president assumed his established nonchalant style, collecting an academic accolade along the way and culminated in his high profile address of the Consultative Group Meeting a week ago. The psychological impact to any judge deciding on the future of the man was a foregone conclusion.

 The ostensive gentlemanly declaration by all contesting parties that there would be ho belligerence after the court's ruling, turned out to be the success of government's mercenary media task force which hatched a war schizophrenia scenario for the opposition to keep them pinned down, eating away their credibility and time simultaneously However, the overriding factor in Malawi's politicalgame is no longer that of personalities-but the technical aspect in the ability to taint the country's ailing economy. Poverty eradication adjustment programmes are not working, on one hand. while government over-expenditure is uncontrolled with one third of each year's budget slipping into private pockets, on the other.

Unfortunately for the rulers, this state of affairs can be traced as originating from government whose officials showed Malawians how change of government was turned into open corruption by their officials in the smuggling of sugar and maize, and admissions in parliament of their corrupt practices. Meanwhile other characters in the private sector have seen the loopholes created by officialdom and have joined in, robbing the nation of the little it can make out of its honest attempts. The past failure to contain corruption, the reluctance on the part of government to be accountable, are all attributes which have contributed to the dismal economic performance. Malawi was trying to brush off at the CG meeting. There is a general consensus that with the same leadership, obviously Malawi will continue to experience the same economic hardships, maybe worse, because the pattern has already been established and exoneration at the CG meeting is taken personally. Hence the ho-hum reaction to the judgement.

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The Daily Times Newspaper                                                                                                              Malawi SDNP