Many social media platforms are pregnant with the recent elective convention which is being held at Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) where the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) delegates are voting members into executive positions.
Some shocking unofficial results have started trickling in. Pertinent question that remains unanswered is, what lessons can be learnt from the recent MCP elective convention?
Firstly, the MCP convention has proved that President Chakwera is so feared that no one dared to challenge him and this is why he won the party presidency unopposed. This is contrary to modern democratic values.
Secondly, money alone cannot put a politician into the accolades of power. It is on record that many politicians such as Eng. Mumba, Ken Zikhale and Eisenhower Mkaka who openly splashed money to woo electoral votes have dismally failed to win the elections.
It seems like voters can still accept the bribe but they are clever enough to vote objectively. It is an insult to one’s dignity if politicians think that a delegate can be bought to vote in their favour.
Thirdly, the sky is the limit in politics. What is important is one’s determination to excel in life.
For example, it is interesting to note that the new MCP Eng. Mumba has put enough votes even to surpass the votes of Ken Zikhale by a large margin.
In fact, Eng. Mumba could be likened to the late Saulos Chilima who amassed over a million votes in 2019 presidential elections within 9 months of forming his own UTM party.
Fourthly, it is an open secret that winners of the recent MCP convention have been with the party for a long time. Richard Chimwendo and Catherine Gotani Hara are well-known for their industriousness and dedication to MCP.
Fifthly, the MCP convention has taught us that there are no untouchables in politics. It is a surprise that notable MCP gurus such as Ken Zikhale Ng’oma and Moses Kunkuyu have unashamedly lost the elections.
The sixth lesson from the MCP convention is that it seems like voters are tired of recycled and unscrupulous politicians. This is why there is generally a paradigm shift of accommodating the new blood in Malawian politics.
Seventhly, our judicial system has proven to be effective and unbiased by upholding constitutional rights of Eng. Mumba to contest for a political position at the time when MCP resolved to sideline him.
The eighth lesson is that MCP has maintained its status quo to be the first mover to conduct a national elective convention before any other political parties.
It is on record that MCP was the first political party to convene a similar function in the run up to 2019 tripartite elections. Furthermore, Lazarus Chakwera that time was the first presidential candidate to announce his running mate, Late Sidik Mia.
Ninthly, by allowing Jessie Kabwira to contest for the position of publicity secretary after she was earlier excommunicated from the party, MCP has proven that its open door policy is an asset. Interestingly, she has scooped the position she was vying for.
Last but not least, many Malawians are bamboozled at how MCP enjoys voting during the middle of the night. What is interesting is that Eisenhower Mkaka, MCP Secretary General who is well-known for advocating midnight politics of witchcraft has dismally flopped during the recent MCP convention.