Esteemed Raw Stuffers, this week has been quite eventful, notably for the UDF family, who have hoisted three candidates for the party’s chairmanship, to be contested this Tuesday.

Basically, one would view the exercise as an internal matter until one is reminded that whoever passes the litmus test next week becomes the party’s presidential candidate for 2014.

Esteemed Raw Stuffers, there is something missing here (Tichedwepo apa). Udiyevu is not a small party. Just like MCP and Aford, it is still an established grouping with significant history; it is known in the villages by the masses and, somehow, still resonates with the voters till today, long after leaving State House. This is unlike other parties that still need to shake off their ‘briefcaseness’ and be taken seriously, especially in rural Malawi.

Now, now! One is not sure UDF is doing the right thing. It seems akufuna kuigulitsanso (they want to lose the plot). Not that Atupele Muluzi, Moses Dossi and Dr. George Nga Mtafu don’t tick as candidates, no; but just think about it.

Last time the mighty party imposed candidates in its primary elections, took its preferred ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ to the general elections—they failed miserably. They produced a lot of independents who went to Parliament and changed the geo-politics in the House.

Then Atcheya wanted to hang on to the country’s leadership through his infamous ‘Third Term’ bid, which went up in smoke and the man walked home to Kapoloma in ignominy, a feat he has seriously not recovered from till today.

His record of messing up things in his second term or the K1.7 billion case lingering on his neck in the courts do not do much credit to his name, family or post-State House pursuits. In other words, Atupele’s showing on the Tuesday and possible 2014 cast does not help the party. Can’t he wait till the family shadow clears?

True, ‘Tupele’ is not his father. But family behaviour and genetic doubts linger a lot in voters’ minds. No?

Then there is Mr Dossi; a good man with a significant sales background who has tried his hand in various endeavours, including sitting with journalists on the touchline, carving a name for himself as ‘the man on the touchline’ in his heyday. As Cabinet minister in the Muluzi administration, Dossi never made any significant political footprints.

In fact, last time he did not do himself any good when he went ‘cartooning’ in the UK in a one-man march, seeking funds for Malawi in the busy streets of London.

Another good man is Dr. Mtafu who, some of us believe, could have done this country much good had he remained in the theatre, being a rare and top-notch physician of his time.

What killed Mtafu’s career, as far as we Raw Stuffers are concerned, was that brief exclamation in Parliament: ‘Agalu inu!” (when he asking his colleagues, whom he labelled as dogs, to lend him an ear in a heated argument).

To be raw, we are saying the UDF can make itself more competitive on the 2014 line-up.

POSTSCRIPT

Esteemed Raw Stuffers, sometimes Chemwaali JB takes some of us by surprise. She was out for a while, attending to very important global meetings aimed at raising the country’s profile and beefing up our Treasury.

What some of us expected of her, upon return, was not only the news briefing she held on Wednesday, but also a bit of office work, to bring her advisers and other ‘gearboxes’ to closed working sessions, to evaluate her recent endeavours, the packages she has gleaned from out there and opportunities she has spotted for the good of the Republic.

But, esteemed Raw Stuffers, what do we hear on Thursday, the ‘good old lady’ was out to the districts, distributing flour and maize!

Not that this is not a good political antic; no. The point is, her IN-tray should be flooding with critical matters requiring her immediate attention; especially now when consumer prices are high up in the ozones and the economy is grappling with a runaway inflation, scarce fuel and forex while incomes are eroding by the day since her massive devaluation of the kwacha.

But distributing relief aid, in person? Where are all those public servants, relief workers and volunteers? Even our village headman or T/A at home cannot indulge in such basic antics.

To quote one Atcheya, running government is serious b’bicinesi, not a political circus!