According to thanatology, most of the times a person shows signs of death for a long period of time before the actual death occurs. In other words, the body starts preparing itself before this death event. In fact, death is a slow process.
The naked truth is that we are dying slowly till our hearts stop beating. I don’t want to go into the details of the medics pertaining to somatic and brain death.
The same is true with President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance regime which started showing signs of collapse on the very same day when Chakwera ascended to the echelons of power.
When President Chakwera was interviewed by Times journalist Brian Banda on which priorities he would pursue within the first 100 days of being in office, he was tongue-tied to answer such a simple question.
After a second thought, Chakwera mentioned budget as his priority. However, Brian Banda pressed further to ask what priorities were there in the budget.
Unfortunately, a sweeping statement was also his response. He said the priorities were agriculture, health, education just to mention a few ministries.
Are Malawians surprised that we are lagging behind in almost all public sectors because of a clueless leadership? Obviously if you don’t know where you are going, then there is no need to ask for a road direction because any road you take will definitely take you somewhere.
In contrast, when former President Joyce Banda was asked a similar question, she did not hesitate to promise Malawians that scarcity of fuel and persistent electricity blackouts would be history within her first 100 days of being in office.
Every Malawian can now testify that within the first 100 days of Joyce Banda’s rule there was constant supply of fuel and electricity all over the country.
In a nutshell, our discourse will hinge on ten signs of the demise of Chakwera’s regime.
- Chakwera’s fear of fellow presidential contestants
When former president of Football Association of Malawi (FAM), Walter Nyamilandu saw himself losing the race last year, he tried all the avenues to disqualify his opponent, the incumbent FAM president, Fleetwood Haiya. Every Malawian can testify how Walter miserably lost the election.
Similarly, have you wondered why some 2025 presidential candidates including Kondwani Nankhumwa and President Chakwera have ganged up to introduce a presidential age limit bill with a view of barring former state President, Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika from standing for presidency?
- Failure in fulfilling most of campaign promises
It does not require a rocket scientist to appreciate that voters put leaders into power with a prospect that they would implement their campaign promises.
Unfortunately, it is now a political suicide that President Chakwera has abandoned his own promises including creation of one million jobs, provision of three meals per day, availability of cheap fertiliser, servant leadership and many others.
- Overspending
Experience has shown that governments that would soon lose power tend to make hay while the sun shines by depleting government coffers like nobody’s business.
As a result, a new government always complains that it has inherited a bankrupt government.
It is therefore not surprising that Chakwera’s government is massively borrowing thereby insanely increasing our foreign and domestic debt.
Obviously, Chakwera regime is aware that another government in the offing will be responsible for paying such an exorbitant debt.
It is funny for Chakwera’s government to expect a debt relief or debt cancellation when its main agenda is to deplete government coffers.
As if he is physiologically incapacitated of sitting in the office, President is always either on the road or in the air globetrotting for tasks that could have delegated for the sake of saving money.
It seems the adage of ‘make hay while the sun shines’ has become the slogan of Chakwera’s regime. For instance, the Chakwera government’s decision to write off NEEF loans is a daylight robbery because many beneficiaries see no need to service their loans.
- Mismanaged economy
A mismanaged economy is usually the first sign of a fallen government. This is so because an ailing economy directly affects the livelihood of a voter.
It is very pathetic that Chakwera government blames natural disasters, COVID 19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war for Malawi’s ailing economy without providing practical solutions.
As a consequence of Chakwera government’s clueless kwacha devaluation, prices of basic goods and services have skyrocketed plunging the life of Malawians unaffordable and unbearable.
- Rising corrupt practices
Many Malawians are aware that former President Joyce Banda lost the grip of power following unprecedented incidents of corruption dubbed cashgate.
Despite Joyce Banda’s well reputable charity work, improved availability of fuel and electricity, Malawians did not trust her with presidency again due to her corrupt government.
Unfortunately, corruption during Chakwera regime has reached unprecedented level from a corruption index of 30 in 2020 up to 37 in 2023.
Currently, senior government officials including Vice President Saulos Chilima and former cabinet ministers such as Kezzie Msukwa and Newton Kambala are answering corruption charges.
Almost all public sectors including the Malawi Police Service, Malawi Defence Force, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Road traffic department, Immigration department and the Judiciary are pregnant with corrupt practices.
Unfortunately, selective justice practised by ACB, the Judiciary and law enforcement agencies has become the normal procedure of cracking down on corruption.
Furthermore, President Chakwera has personally shown no political will to combat corruption by pardoning corruption suspect Bakili Muluzi and corruption convict Uladi Mussa.
As if this is not enough, ACB Director General, Ms Martha Chizuma unceremoniously dropped down corruption charges from a senior MCP diehard, Prince Kapondamgaga.
Unfortunately , these incidents of selective justice have angered many voters and they vehemently want Chakwera government to be shown an exit door.
- Persecution of Chakwera’s critics
In Malawi, history has shown that losing governments tend to unjustly arrest those who criticise the government.
During Kamuzu’s regime, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) arrested many human rights activists before its fall.
Similarly, Chakwera government is well known for persecuting anyone who is criticising his government. It has planted intelligence personnel in all public sectors including social media platforms.
For instance, was the arrest of Bon Kalindo necessary simply because he audaciously unearthed in a Whatsapp audio clandestine MCP paramilitary operations? If the allegations were not true, why didn’t government issue an alternative public statement to clarify the matter?
If Chakwera government is serious on dealing with corruption, why did it intimidate journalist Gregory Gondwe and arrest another journalist Macmillan Mhone for simply exposing the corrupt practices rampant in the public sector? Why didn’t they take these whistleblowers as state witnesses?
- Increasing poor public service delivery
It is an open secret now that the voters decided to change government in 2020 simply because Tonse Alliance promised to improve public service delivery by doing things differently.
Unfortunately, it is pathetic that voters have now realised that there is an acute dwindling public service delivery.
For instance, it is only during Chakwera regime when the computerised national passport system was hacked resulting into some Malawians stranded in getting their passports.
It is only during Chakwera regime when corruption has reached the highest level in all sectors with ACB and law enforcement agencies being the perpetrators of the vice.
What has disappointed the voters more is that clueless President Chakwera has shown no political will to improve public service delivery by hiding the public sector reform report. Literally, nothing has been implemented from this public report.
- Rising nepotism, regionalism and tribalism
It is widely accepted that the more things change, the more they become the same.
Chakwera’s promise of establishing a meritorious government was a scam because his government now is practising nepotism, regionalism, tribalism and probably witchcraft like nobody’s business.
The prevalence of these vices has disappointed voters as they feel disadvantaged and marginalised to access job opportunities and other social amenities.
- Laissez faire leadership
It is funny that President Chakwera made a lot of campaign promises but yet he thinks that he is not the driver of this country. It does not require a competent logician to appreciate that the role of a leader is to lead. Simple!! Good leaders provide hope to their followers especially during difficult times of hopelessness.
There is no way our country’s ailing economy will improve by blaming previous regime, COVID 19 pandemic, natural disasters and Russia-Ukraine war without providing practical economic solutions.
In spite of political party affiliation, many disappointed Malawians have vested their hope in the 2025 presidential election to change the leadership of this country.
- Chakwera’s dwindling popularity
In conclusion, the aforementioned signs of demise of Chakwera’s leadership have exacerbated the dwindling popularity of the current regime.
For instance, at one point in time, President Chakwera’s envoy in Blantyre was once booed and stoned. This similar event also happened with the former president Peter Mutharika before his fall. Is history repeating itself here?
It now remains a paradox that public addresses conducted by former President Prof Peter Mutharika attract more viewers on various social media platforms than those addressed by the incumbent President Chakwera. Will this trend persist? Only a voter will decide.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor
