MZUZU-(MaraviPost)-It is now less than a month before the country goes to the fresh presidential election slated for June 23, 2020. As per Malawi’s political tradition, political parties are out and about in campaign trails canvassing for votes.
It is a normal and lawful move for our politicians to visit us in our vicinities and share with us their aspirations and dreams for the development-starved nation.
And presumably, Malawians are happy that the untouchables are visiting their squatters with messages of hope for the nation; accompanied with distribution of politically spurred items such as clothes and food items.
However, in the past few days, Malawians have been treated to the most unprecedented and unpalatable wave of hate speeches and smelly remarks by the former Head of State, Her Excellency Dr Joyce Banda and the incumbent Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.
For starters, when Dr Joyce Banda was given such an opportunity to deliver her extempore at the rally, she was supposed to bear in mind the size and composition of her both immediate and distant audience she was addressing. That would help her censor what messages to imbed and spread to the target audience.
Analysing her audience would further help her remain relevant to the supporters who formed part and parcel of the audience she was addressing. But that was never considered, thus, she ended up attacking Arthur Peter Mutharika in the process irrespective of consequences.
In the course of doing so, Madame Banda forgot that the speech she made would have an immediate and long-term impact on the people of Malawi but more particularly, on her image as a leader.
Joyce Banda was once Malawi’s President for two years and led the nation to tripartite election but never at any point had she shared with Malawians what type of a personality is Arthur Peter Mutharika’s; in terms of alcoholism.
Besides, telling Malawians today that APM is a heavy alcoholic as per what she experienced with him back in the years when they were both ministers under Bingu Wa Mutharika’s leadership, simply shows that she has literally nothing worth the salt to tell them.
This, therefore, has the potential of causing you to lose touch with well rounded followers of local politics, who might also be her supporters.
As a payback, during his whistle stop tour, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika decided to throw back more stones at Madame Banda perhaps than how many the latter did. Anyway, as per the saying: tit for tat is a fair play; that too was still very indecent of a national leader. And if the revelation he made, was really worth it, where had he been with it all these years gone by? Besides, considering the size and composition of the intended audience was a must.
As a matter of fact, it was very careless of Peter Mutharika to publicly swear that Madame Banda is his sworn enemy. This statement does paint a Christian picture of leader of a God fearing nation that is Malawi.
Aside from being head of state, Mutharika is a he for she campaigner.
Certainly, he would have displayed a great deal of statesmanship, as he sometimes does, had he not even responded to Madame Banda. But by deciding to attack back, spectators will be tempted to look at both as imbeciles.
Others would even wish to demand an apology as was done to one Ben Malunga Phiri when he decided to attack the modesty of Madame Calista Mutharika in Balaka last year towards the 21 May tripartite elections.
Time and again, it is said that it takes the whole village to raise a child. As national leaders, the two are supposed to always remember that what they say today will have an impact on themselves when censored by the current young generation and the one coming in the future. So, always remember that when engaging in conflict, one does not bring a knife that cuts apart but a needle that sews.
Besides being God fearing, Malawians are also staunch moralists, but what the two leaders are proving to the nation and beyond is that they do not care about decaying the morals that people in the country, particularly the young ones have to grow up with.
Both of them are now over the age of 70. Thus, in addition to being leaders, they are also parents and grandparents. So, they really have to careful about the picture they are painting in the eyes of their children and grandchildren.
Malawi never feeds on politics. When all is said and done, Malawians are one and they asleaders, have a primary obligation of uniting them through messages of unity and mutual respect.
If you do not have anything substantial to share with Malawians, it is better to shut up than tolerating your tongues to spread venom which will take ages in the future to be neutralized. Remember when the mouth turns into a knife, it cuts the lips!