Alliances: Who has attractive campaign messages for Malawi swing voters?
The campaign season for the July 2 [or June 23] Fresh President Elections is in full swing and, already, daggers are drawn.
It’s a war of two alliances, each with a strong base of voters but to win these elections, the battle comes down to swing voters.
Both alliances have an election to win or lose because, counting on their traditional voters, the figures look pretty good; that is why the alliance that will sway more swing voters to its fold, is the one with the greatest advantage of carting victory home.
Ordinarily, Malawi’s swing vote is predominantly the Northern Region vote and, of course, the urban vote. These voters are always moved or swayed by campaign messages and visible development projects. Not tribe.
This is why, at the point in time, it is critical to ask: Between opposition Tonse Alliance and governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance, which group, so far, is churning out attractive campaign messages that can sway swing voters to their fold?
Is it yet not clear, at this stage of the campaign, to decode what, actually, Tonse Alliance is standing for; or what UDF/DPP is standing for.
However, from the key messages coming from the campaign trails, it is, somehow, becoming a bit simpler to tell the principles underlining what these two parties are advancing.
For instance, Tonse Alliance appears poised to dismantle the political hegemony of two families—Mutharika and Muluzi—which has bestride the countries’ politics since the advent of multi-party democracy in 1994.
To them, the dominance of these two families is the reason Malawi is failing because these families have been running Malawi as their personal farm.
They advance that the experience this family runs in matters is negligible and should not be tolerated because there is nothing substantially developmental in it.
In other words, the gist of Tonse Alliance’s appeal message is the flaws of their rivals—we haven’t heard much in terms of what, themselves, can do.
The UDF/DPP alliance, with Atupele Muluzi on the frontlines, is mostly towing the ‘experience’ to discredit both opposition leaders Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima as amateurs in state craft.
To them, Chakwera is an aged kid in matters of running State affairs and giving him power is akin to suspending Malawi’s development journey. To them, Mutharika has garnered needed experience in state craft, as such; he must be allowed to continue because nothing will be disturbed.
Fundamentally, there are two things involved here: One, its either we allow the experienced Mutharika/Muluzi family to continue; or, we opt for the inexperienced, greed pricks of Chakwera/Chilima – as former vice president Cassim Chilumpha described them – to take us a different road.
The question: What would you chose?
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Alindichiyani aChilumpha pano
Atumbuka don’t vote according to tribe?? Which Malawi are you from?? Atumbuka vote on development?? Which development did Mcp do kumpoto? Nyusensi basi
MCP has never controlled a budget since dawn of multiparty democracy. We therefore cannot talk about development by MCP.
Atumbukaaaaaaaa NGO sayamuka
The good thing is that malawians have woken up for good, no stupid rhetoric will sway them, Thanks to Chakwera and Chilima, Malawians have opened their eyes, The winds of change have finally arrived and nobody can stop the Tsunami for change
The MESSAGES was well articulated from the first until you mentioned “Greed Pricks of Chakwera/Chilima”,That shows the writer has taken side and it has spoiled the whole message he was trying to explain.
Kusamvetsa chizungu, there is a thing called sarcasm/ satire. Do some reading osamangokwiya Kwiya ngati nthumbidwa
I also got his side when he tried to conclude on tonse alliance agenda that it peged on the shortfalls of the current regime and nothing more. Then I knew to which side is the writer
cadet kind of writing.
Malawians do not need your writing to know who to vote for. Tikumudziwa kale ife.
You are biased
Mabanja awa chifukwa chani kumuvutisa mwana uyu Atupele chonchi. Nkhalamba yilikuti????
Wapakaliyala wayamba kuimba belo? Mwina njinga ali kuti?
there is no greed in mcp and utm. this article is useless and baseless. written by an ignorant
There is serious greed because their campaign is attempt to stop a certain group of people from participating.
Correction, certain families
I am not a Muluzi of Muntharika but want Dpp in government stop generalising. Mcp is run by the same people, kamuzu’s relative John Tembo who chose his relative by marriage Chakwera
That is not greed.Go back and check the word greed in dictionary.If i can go deeper these two families are the ones who are greedy.
When you point a finger, five point back at you. How do u explain being in alliance with cashgate queen Jb, wokuba za reforms Chilima and wokufa za nyika Kaliati?
Sindikavota palibe ali ndifundo onse ndi mbola
Mike Fiko is bent towards the ruling elite as he’s distorting the information deliberately or he write what he chooses to have heard instead of writing what’s been or being said. Tonse Alliance has been clear in saying they’re dropping the cost of fertilizer from 22,000 to 4,500. Even if there was one agenda at least he would have easily picked this. Why omiting the obvious Fiko??. The second being stumping out corruption… this has been said more many times but Fiko has chosen to pay a blind eye and deaf ear. That’s the problem of paid up writing…you tend… Read more »
I like this. Removing the two families is the secondary aim.Primary aim is MALAWI OKOMERA ONSE which includes the reduction of Fertilizer price from K22,000 to K4,995.
Stop pretending as if you are a chicken chosecho uli Bakha wachabechabe