By Burnett Munthali
(a) Parties contest elections. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM contested as individual political parties in 2019 where each one scored a million plus votes
(b) They put forward policies and programmes. DPP main policies and programmes focused on development. MCP focused on Hi-5., introduction of a bullet train. UTM focused on job creation, cheap fertilizer, cheap passports, cheap driving licences, monthly cash transfer for the elderly from 60 years and above, fighting corruption
(c) Parties play a decisive role in making laws. MCP has introduced many laws that are putting Malawians in a tight corner such as raising Pay As You Earn (PAYE) income tax in Apr 2022 which saw employees take me home salaries reducing. The President promised to look into the matter but nothing has been done up to date.
(d) Parties form and run a government. DPP formed government in 2019 but was challenged and booted out of power in 2020 through the courts.
Nine political parties formed government in 2020 for the next five years up to 2025. The two major political alliance partners are the MCP and UTM whose relationship is shaky. They promised heaven on earth and Malawians are still waiting in silence.
The MCP and UTM or governing alliance in a democratic parliamentary or presidential system are the political alliance holding a majority of presidential election held in June 2020, in the case of holding the executive branch, in presidential systems, that administers the affairs of this country as we speak.
The Tonse alliance government is a cooperation by nine different political parties on a common agenda of developing Malawi. This however involved formal a special agreement between the MCP
and UTM to give each other chance of a term of five years each whose future looks cloudy.
The ruling group of people in government today is the group that is controlling their affairs. Malawians do not see their affairs being handled well by this government
The opposition is supposed to be an organised group that is opposed, primarily ideologically, to the government. Unfortunately, we do not see a vibrant opposition in parliament at present. I think the Leader of Opposition is compromised and Malawians do not like it that way.
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Government and opposition have disappointed Malawians because they are both behaving in a manner that is contrary to people’s expectations.
Firstly, government is arrogant. They claim that people are not appreciative of what Tonse has done for this country so far. The President said Malawians have reached the promised land of Canaan and that all promises have been delivered. Perhaps my eye sight is poor because I cannot see anything apart from the few kilometres of road networks which have recently started this year 2022.
Corruption is the order of the day and Tonse cabinet is in the fore front.
Servant leadership was just put on paper and it is difficult for the President to implement his own Hi-5. Chakwera has on the contrary demonstrated self leadership style full of nothing but making speeches and excuses for this and that.
Rule of law has become nothing but just a mockery as the judiciary has become more questionable than ever before in the history of this country. It is now clear that the criticism is coming from the citizens of Malawi, Parliament and civil society.
Promises by Tonse have finally become lies in the eyes of many.
It is unfortunate that Tonse has lost popularity both in the rural and urban areas. I don’t know what the future has for this government if elections were to be held today.
Tonse alliance still have chance to mend fences. They have three more years before the next general election in 2025.
Opposition DPP continues to be divided as many divided incidents continue to happen in the party. The recent
We have a weak opposition alliance. Unfortunately, the DPP-UDF alliance broke down at a time people didn’t expect. The UDF pulled out from the alliance saying the significance of the alliance ended soon after the 2020 for fresh presidential election.
The only strength for the opposition DPP is left on the grassroots for its supporters. Sadly for the leaders, they are divided.
Opposition is idle and watching instead of doing its job.
I can rightly say the opposition is sleeping instead of doing its job. There is a weak leader of opposition in parliament who is busy fighting his leadership and some members are fighting the leader of opposition as well thereby making the whole scenario look like a circus.
Fighting is the order of the day in DPP and the fighting is even getting to extreme and strange levels. This is weakening the people who follow this party and giving advantage to the Tonse alliance despite their failures and weaknesses too. The electorate are left with no option but watching as they are at the crossroads thinking of which direction to take.
The courts have been abused in the silly fight for leadership in the opposition DPP since 2020. The party members have taken advantage of our porous laws and judiciary. One tends to wonder the intentions of the injunction laws in this country. Probably the intention of such law was good and well intended but the manner in which people apply for court injunctions is quite dramatic and selfish.
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The leaders in the opposition have displayed their self centeredness. They are up for grabs fighting inside and outside for leadership. The most exciting thing is that members do not have to overzealous in such a manner as the DPP is doing. Party leadership is just a small battle that does not require vigorous campaign but ends at the party convention. What looks childish is that the low profile campaign taking place in the opposition DPP is actually the same game for all political parties when we get close to the next general election. All is quiet in other political parties but the opposition DPP.
The opposition DPP is busy ignoring its own leadership structures. They cannot accept that there must be one leader at a time before another convention is called. All kinds of fighting, rudeness and insubordination have been displayed. A war of words have circulated on social media.
Indiscipline of its highest order have been going on in the DPP since 2020 after losing the controversial fresh presidential election in which Reverend Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse alliance won.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor
