By Manvuto Kalawa, Correspondent, Malawi Freedom Network
The recent general elections in Malawi have left many citizens asking why Dr. Lazarus Chakwera was not returned to power for a second term.
Even members of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) should reflect on this question.
The answer, as some say in vernacular, is simple: “Mzako akati konzu, nawenso umati konzu.”
However, the MCP failed to fulfill this proverb, and as a result, Malawians opted for Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s main rival, Peter Mutharika, and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
During the campaign period, citizens were promised a wide range of reforms, including one million jobs, good governance, servant leadership, and a reduction in the presidential motorcade fleet, among other pledges.
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Instead, what Malawians experienced over the five-year term was the opposite: rampant corruption, poor governance, widespread hunger, and attacks on human rights activists, some reportedly by individuals linked to the MCP.
These failures left citizens disillusioned and seeking a change.
One of the people our reporter spoke to, Mr. Anthony Kadongola of Katemera Village, Traditional Authority Chadza, said, “We were tired of false promises. The MCP government treated the country as their estate, and Malawians wanted change.”
He added that in Chichewa there is a saying: “Mphechepeche wa njovu sapitamo kawiri,” meaning that one does not repeat past mistakes. Malawians were determined not to repeat the errors of 2020.
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A woman who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The MCP government failed us. Prices of basic commodities were extremely high, there was no fuel, and foreign currency was scarce. Even when we complained, nothing was done. All of this angered us.”
In conclusion, as Peter Mutharika is set to be sworn in tomorrow as Malawi’s seventh president, the MCP must take time to evaluate its failures and return to the drawing board.
This election serves as a lesson to all political parties: be careful in the promises you make during campaigns, or you risk losing the trust of Malawians.
For APM and the DPP, citizens are wishing them the best but will be closely watching whether they deliver on the commitments that earned them victory.
