The hard truth is that Malawi today has two types of leadership. One is building the country. The other is still fighting for a chair.
On one side is President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika. Calm, fatherly, visionary.
On the other side is Lazarus Chakwera and the chaos in Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM. And yesterday, Chakwera himself proved the difference.
The hard truth is that Chakwera’s press briefing was a missed opportunity.
Malawians and MCP members were waiting for one thing: a clear plan to hand over power to new blood, to renew the party, to accept that September 2025 was a rejection. Instead, he gave them long English and no answer.
The hard truth is that he failed to respond to the needs and calls of the party owners. The owners of MCP are not in the NEC.
They are in the branches, in the districts, in the villages. They are the women who cook for meetings, the youth who march in the rain, the elders who have carried the party since 1964. They asked for renewal. They asked for a new face. They asked for a leader who will listen. What they got was a leader who still wants to be the centre of the party.
The hard truth is that when a leader refuses to talk about transition, he is displaying greed for power.
Chakwera spoke about constitution, about democracy, about collective will. But he did not speak about stepping aside.
He did not speak about giving the youth a chance. He did not speak about letting new blood lead.
A man who truly believes the party belongs to the people does not fear a convention. A man who truly believes in renewal does not cling to the microphone.
The hard truth is that MCP is now paying for that fear. The party is divided. The regions are fighting.
The youth are tired. The elders are confused. And Chakwera’s briefing, instead of healing the party, exposed his poor leadership.
A good leader unites. A poor leader explains. Yesterday, Chakwera was explaining, not leading.
The hard truth is that UTM is no better. While APM is commissioning roads, UTM youth are fighting each other for positions.
While APM is sending K50 million for sports to every constituency, UTM is sending insults to each other on social media.
While APM is bringing investors back, UTM is busy chasing shadows. How can a party that cannot manage its own youth manage a country?
The hard truth is that APM is winning because he understands leadership. He does not shout. He does not insult. He does not arrest his critics at midnight. He builds. Look at the M1 Road. It was dead from 2020 to 2025.
Today, machines are roaring at Chiweta because one man gave a direct order. Look at Liwonde-Matawale Road. Look at Mangochi-Makanjira Road. That is visionary leadership.
The hard truth is that APM understands the people. He stopped the workshops where billions were being eaten in allowances, and he sent the money to the people. K15 billion for Youth and Women Loans. K17.1 billion for School Bursaries. K85.5 billion for CDF. That is not a speech. That is money in the pocket of a Malawian.
The hard truth is that Chakwera himself, if he reads this column quietly in his house, will laugh at himself and agree he goofed.
Because he knows the briefing was supposed to be his comeback. Instead, it became his confession. He admitted MCP failed Malawians.
He admitted the party made mistakes in operations and management.
He admitted Malawians voted them out. You cannot admit failure and then refuse to leave the stage.
Malawi has moved on. The father is back. The calm has returned. The vehicle for development is moving, and it is unstoppable.
MCP and UTM must decide: will they keep fighting for chairs, or will they help APM build Malawi?
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Email: jonesgadama@gmail. com
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