By Suleman Chitera
For years, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) branded itself as a fearless, non-partisan guardian of democracy. It marched in the streets claiming moral authority, mobilised citizens in the name of human rights, and positioned itself above party politics. But September 16 marked the moment the mask finally fell.
On that day, HRDC and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) did not merely share a platform — they converged. What Malawians witnessed was not coincidence, not “issue-based activism,” but political alignment in plain sight. HRDC ceased to look like an independent civil society organisation and instead operated as an extension of MCP’s political machinery.
This is not an accusation whispered in back rooms. It is an observation grounded in patterns of conduct: selective outrage, calculated silence, and mobilisation that consistently favours one political interest. Where was HRDC’s thunder when governance failures cut across party lines? Where was its energy when ordinary Malawians suffered under policies linked to those it now defends?
Civil society earns legitimacy through independence. The moment it chooses sides, it forfeits the trust of the people. HRDC’s September 16 posture confirmed what many Malawians had long suspected: that the organisation had crossed the line from watchdog to lapdog.
Activism is not a crime. Political affiliation is not a sin. But dishonesty is. If HRDC has chosen to be a branch of MCP, it owes Malawians the decency of truth. Drop the civil society label. Stop hiding behind the language of human rights while advancing partisan interests.
Malawians are not fools. They saw it on September 16. And they will remember it.
