By Comrade Jumbe
YOU DON’T FATTEN A GOAT ON A MARKET DAY
As the sun prepares to rise on another election in Malawi this September, a heavy shadow casts itself over the promise of free and fair elections.
A storm brews in plain sight—visible to all, spoken in hushed tones by many, but publicly challenged by few.
The President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, has been seen entertaining chiefs and influential community members at the palace—feeding them lavishly, handing them envelopes of MK50,000, and whispering just one message: “Vote for me.”
Is this not vote-buying? If not, then what is?
“A man who gives you a gift with one hand and takes your future with the other is not your friend, but your captor.” That is an African proverb not written in books but known in the hearts of wise elders.
Where were these dinners and handouts when the people were suffering? For four years, many citizens endured hunger, eating chiteze and surviving without meaningful government support. Where was the compassion then?
Why now? Why during the season of votes?
“You don’t fatten a goat on market day.” But that’s exactly what is happening.
Suddenly, the palace doors are wide open—not for policy dialogue, not for national healing, but for strategic manipulation. If this is not the buying of souls, then let someone explain what it is..
Imran Jumbe
Chiefs are not just traditional leaders—they are gatekeepers of influence. To bribe them is to indirectly buy the people. It is a clever strategy, but one that tramples on the sacredness of democracy.
How can we trust that the voice of the people will be heard freely when their stomachs are being filled in exchange for their votes?
“He who feeds you for a day does not solve your hunger, he only delays your rebellion.”
Let us ask: Where is the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC)? Where are the civil society watchdogs, the churches, the donor agencies? Is their silence an endorsement or fear? Either way, silence in the face of injustice is itself a betrayal.
We must remember: “The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.” The people of Malawi have memories longer than the corridors of the palace.
These attempts to sway loyalty through cash and nyama will not erase years of broken promises, economic hardship, and political games.
Let us be wise. Let us be vigilant. Let us not trade our future for a plate of rice and MK50,000 today. Because “when the drums of manipulation grow louder, the wise dance to the rhythm of truth.”
If elections are to mean anything—if democracy is to breathe and not suffocate—we must call out these acts for what they are: corrupt, cunning, and unpatriotic.
And so we ask again:
Where is MEC?
Where are the defenders of democracy?
Where are the bold leaders who stand not for their bellies, but for the people?
Let the September elections not be a mockery of our intelligence, but a testimony of our awakening.
MY PEN 🖊 IS MIGHTIER THAN A SWORD.
