By Jones Gadama
The hard truth is that the Malawi Congress Party has finally written down what many Malawians have long suspected.
In a meeting held in Lilongwe on Tuesday and attended by senior party officials, the party agreed in principle to amend its constitution to restrict the presidency to people from the Central Region, specifically from the Chewa community.
The hard truth is that a party that presents itself as national has decided to make regionalism and tribalism official policy.
According to an inside source who attended the meeting, party leaders argued that MCP has historically been strongest under Central Region leaders. They cited Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, John Tembo and Lazarus Chakwera.
They then pointed to Gwanda Chakuamba from Nsanje in the Southern Region, who led the party in the early 2000s, as evidence that leadership from outside the Central Region leads to factionalism and weakness.
The hard truth is that one individual’s experience is now being used to justify locking out entire regions and tribes from the highest office.
The hard truth is that the proposal is sweeping. Under what was discussed, the three most senior positions in the party — president, secretary general and treasurer general — would be reserved for the Central Region. Members from the Northern, Southern and Eastern Regions would only be eligible to contest for deputy positions.
The hard truth is that this creates a permanent ceiling. You can mobilize votes in Karonga, you can campaign in Blantyre, you can fill stadiums in Zomba, but you will never be allowed to lead the party.
The hard truth is that the language used at the meeting exposes the motive. Participants were quoted as saying, “MCP belongs to Chewas and we need to respect that as such there is a need to make it a law.” They went further: “Whether one wants it or not we will amend the constitution.
Only Chewas are good leaders for MCP and not any other tribe.” The hard truth is that those are not the words of a national movement. Those are the words of a party that has chosen to define itself by tribe and region.
The hard truth is that MCP was formed ahead of independence as a movement that drew support across Malawi. For decades it has asked for votes in every district and presented itself as the party of all Malawians.
The hard truth is that to now tell members from outside the Central Region that they can only serve as deputies is a betrayal of that founding claim. It tells millions of members that their membership is conditional.
The hard truth is that senior MCP members are themselves to blame. For years the party benefited from national support while concentrating real power in one region. When that imbalance was raised, the answer was not to open up. The answer was to entrench it in the constitution.
Political analyst Matthews Namukhoyo described the move as a clear manifestation of regionalism and nepotism. The hard truth is that he is correct. Any rule that ties the top job to geography and ethnicity is not about merit. It is about preserving control for a select group.
The hard truth is that such a rule also contradicts the spirit of Malawi’s constitution, which guarantees equal political rights regardless of region or tribe.
The hard truth is that Malawi cannot afford a major political party that promotes exclusion. We are one country made up of 54 tribes and three regions. A party that writes discrimination into its own rules cannot credibly claim to defend national unity when in government.
The hard truth is that politics of hatred, even when dressed as “returning to roots,” only deepens the cracks in our society.
The MCP has shown it will not change. Its history already carries the weight of centralization. This amendment cements that legacy. Supporters will argue it brings stability.
The hard truth is that stability built on exclusion is not stability at all. It is fragility waiting to break.
So what should Malawians from other regions do? The hard truth is that they should accept and respect the wish of the party. MCP has made its choice to exercise regionalism, tribalism and nepotism. Citizens also have the right to association.
The hard truth is that if a party tells you to your face that you can never lead it because of where you come from, then you should leave it alone. Do not waste your time, your energy and your vote building a structure that has already decided you are only fit to be deputy.
With Lazarus Chakwera expected to announce in the coming weeks that he will not seek another term as MCP president, the forthcoming convention will now be about who fits the new regional requirement, not who has the best ideas for Malawi.
The hard truth is that this is not about hating MCP. It is about loving Malawi enough to speak plainly. A country that allows its oldest party to codify tribalism in its constitution is a country inviting deeper division.
Feedback: +265992082424
Email: *jonesgadama@gmail.com
Leave a Reply