Politics is the process of organising how we live together in a society.
In a democracy, every citizen has a right and duty to participate in this process – by freely accessing information about socio-political issues, expressing the own opinion on public affairs, formulating expectations, proposals or requirements without fear of repression, voting in elections, engaging in civil society organisations or political parties, or contesting in free and fair elections.
In the famous words of Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States of America from 1861-65, this ideal is defined as the “government of the people, by the people, for the people”.
The one truth that 20 years of multiparty democracy in Malawi has taught us is that the framework of voting into power a political party to form government is the curse responsible for Malawi’s governance failures.
This is because party politics, partisan politics, petty politicking and party gurus are the root of political malaise in Malawi.
The first problem with the current framework is that we adopted the whole concept without fully understanding it.
Our breed of politicians, mostly people who have miserably failed elsewhere, want us to believe that political parties and belonging to one is important.
This is wrong because political parties, where the system works, have political ideals and goals that are translated into real governance and development agenda that can be implemented.
In Malawi, our political parties have no ideology that connects to the aspirations of the people.
Having ideology and goals that people can identify with is the minimum IF a political party is to lead any nation towards prosperity. Without ideals and goals, it is no wonder that we are getting nowhere because if you have no destination, any road or direction, no matter how disastrous, is an option.
In an ideal democracy, most if not all citizens should be involved in political activities. Obviously, a direct democracy where every citizen is directly involved in all political decisions is not possible within modern mass societies.
Thus political parties are supposed to strive to represent all citizens, and not be captured by tribal blocks or regions or strong men and their families, who often come as wolves dressed on sheep’s clothing.
Modern democracy demands institutions and organisations that represent the will and the interests of the citizens as authentically as possible. These can be associations, informal groups or non-governmental organisations.
In particular, the political parties are supposed to carry out such a representative function honestly and vigilantly. They must offer citizens the means to influence politics and political decisions and hence demonstrate that they (the political parties) are an important instrument and institution of politics, and not a hindrance as is our case.
To understand and justify party politics, party members must appreciate that without popular participation, political parties are mere businesses of their owners.
I will be blunt on this one. No-one can convince me that the United Democratic Front Party (UDF) is not just the Muluzi family’s fiefdom, nor that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) isn’t an investment of the Mutharika family and surprisingly, nor that Malawi’s oldest party, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) isn’t evolving into a vehicle for the Chakwera family to secure dubious and shady pacts he cannot even share with his National Executive Committee (NEC).
I will deal with these cases one by one another day, suffice to say that all these run against the very tenets of party democracies where the parties, by extension of Abraham Lincoln’s statement, ought to be parties of the people, by the people, for the people and not entities of one family, by one family, for one family.
The outcome of “party-capture” by a few dynastic families is that these parties are breeding ground for corruption, patronage, tribalism, impunity, gross abuse of power and plunder of public resources.
The political patronage is why benefits that should be allocated to the nation as a whole, only reach a few individuals.
Instead of competitive hiring for CEOs, patronage offers a job to a connected individual; instead of buying medicine, funds are wasted on political party rallies; instead of investing in public school, ESCOM is looted so that Mr So and So can send his kids abroad; and so on and so forth.
And this is why, when the president is speaking to the nation, he doesn’t really speak to the whole nation and to every citizen, but only to his cheerleaders masquerading as party members and followers. In other words, to President Mutharika, for instance, the phrase “my fellow Malawians” really means “My fellow DPP members”. This is why only DPP members and carders clap their hands, and virtually no other Malawian.
When the president is making policy decisions, they are not driven by the greater good, but whatever trash will please their cheerers.
This is why we see corrupt party members and cabinet ministers being protected and shielded, and the president giving secret orders to the police and to the anti-corruption officers not to arrest and investigate party sympathisers; but to harass and persecute critics.
It is the idea of going into the presidency on a party platform that has turned political participation into some form of business investment where those that supported the wining candidate expect to reap the benefits and indeed profit from rendering their support.
The solution for Malawi then lies in rejecting any presidential candidate in the future who relies heavily on his or her political party in order to be voted into the presidency.
Perhaps the ideal president for the future of Malawi is one who will have solid leadership credentials, and yet be without a political party to whom he will owe a debt of gratitude once the presidency is attained.
It is my contention that without a political party to please – as was Bingu wa Mutharika’s unique situation in 2004 – the president would perform to leave a legacy that would be celebrated by all Malawians, not just Lomwes, Yaos or Chewas!
Are you listening you 2019 presidential aspirants?
