Malawi’s president Bingu wa Mutharika is set to hand leadership to his younger brother, Peter, after his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nominated him for the hot seat, another of arbitrary decision the party – which has never had a convention since its formation in 2005 – likes to make.

This confirms rumours that have been going around for some time that the president deliberately thrust into oblivion all people he thought would challenge his brother to the party leadership.

Ken Lipenga, Henry Mussa, Henry Phoya and Goodall Gondwe – all of whom played a crucial role in ensuring that Mutharika survived a hostile first term of office marred by opposition dominance – were seen as possible successors but were either dropped from cabinet or given portfolios seen as relatively low profile.

According to Friday’s edition of The Daily Times, Malawi’s oldest daily newspaper, the decision was arrived at during a meeting of members of parliament and district governors from the southern region early this week.

Mutharika comes from Thyolo in the southern region, which the party believes is key to winning the general elections next set for 2014.

“This is not from Professor Peter Mutharika, neither is it from me, but I am just relaying what DPP lay members and some leaders including MPs are proposing,” the party’s regional governor for the south Noel Masangwi is quoted by the paper as saying.

“They have told me at several meetings that they would like the justice minister [the younger Mutharika] to be their presidential candidate.

“As a democratic party, we cannot stop proposing the next leader of our political grouping. Even our republican constitution clearly stipulates that every person shall have the right to freedom of opinion including the freedom to impart opinions. We can’t stop or censor them from expressing their opinions.”

It has been clear for a long time that the party was preparing ground for the younger Mutharika to take over leadership of the party and then the country and all high-profile leaders have been put in oblivion.

One particular individual is vice-president Joyce Banda, who did her best to sell Mutharika for the second term but has been sidelined throughout. At some point, she was denied publicity on state run media and had cars used by her office’s personnel withdrawn.

She was further demeaned by new Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) boss Bright Malopa who was beamed live on national television MBC-TV saying Banda was not fit to lead the party and the country but Mutharika because Banda was from the Yao tribe.

Yao tribe is one of the biggest tribes in Malawi and former president Bakili Muluzi’s victories in 1994 and 1999 general elections were partly attributed to the size of the tribe.

Mutharika comes from the Lhomwe tribe, a relatively smaller tribe compared to the Yao and covers mainly three districts namely, Thyolo, Mulanje and Phalombe.

Many Malawians see Banda as a unifying force as she is married in the northern region, thus bringing together two tribes, namely Tumbuka and Yao. Her involvement with women activities also draws her support from the womenfolk which constitutes 51 per cent of the country’s population.

While Banda was thrust in oblivion, the younger Mutharika enjoyed publicity no other cabinet minister enjoyed. He was beamed live on state television as he presented guest lectures in the universities of Malawi and Mzuzu.

Although the decision might spell doom for the DPP as resistance is rife, the younger Mutharika is relatively more courteous compared to his older brother who is good at issuing decrees and easily loses his cool. Those who have interacted with Peter have liked him as a person.

Sanje Msiska