By Burnett Munthali
The Chakwera–Mumba campaign has been greeted with enthusiasm by some Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporters at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC).
But applause is not progress.
And excitement is not evidence of success.
When asked how he plans to move forward with his Chakwera–Mumba team, President Lazarus Chakwera responded with a statement that demands critical interrogation.
“I had the duty to lay down the foundation,” Chakwera said.
He went on to claim, “The next five years is for building Malawi based on the foundation laid within the first five years.”
But the question that must be asked—loudly and urgently—is: what foundation?
Is it the foundation of endless fuel shortages that have crippled the economy and daily life?
Is it the foundation of sugar scarcity, where even the most basic necessities have become luxuries for the ordinary Malawian?
Is it the foundation of broken promises, where campaign pledges dissolve as soon as power is secured?
Is it the foundation of silence and denial, where accountability is replaced with excuses and incompetence is dressed as circumstance?
What Chakwera calls a “foundation” is, in fact, a trail of unfulfilled commitments and shrinking hope.
The nation watched as jobs were promised—but not delivered.
The economy was said to be stabilizing—but inflation tells a different story.
Malawians were assured of prosperity—but what they got instead was prolonged suffering.
There is no solid ground on which to build a new Malawi if the current leadership cannot acknowledge the cracks beneath their feet.
The partnership with Engineer Vitumbiko Mumba may bring fresh energy, but leadership is not about optics—it is about outcomes.
Mumba alone cannot save a presidency drowning in denial and weak governance.
As the 2025 elections approach, Malawians must not be lured by rehearsed speeches and rebranded slogans.
They must ask: where is the transformation we were promised?
Where is the relief from poverty?
Where is the justice?
Where is the truth?
Chakwera may have laid down something, but it is not a foundation—it is a warning.
A warning that if we accept failure as normal, it will become permanent.
A warning that slogans without substance are just noise.
And a warning that another five years of the same leadership will not build Malawi—it will bury it.
Malawi deserves more than speeches and symbolism.
It deserves honest leadership, real development, and a future based not on fiction, but on fact.
