Chakwera or Mutharika? The choice between experience and rawness for Malawi

Tuesday’s June 23 elections could be a fulfillment of a development prophecy told in 1998 through the Vision 2020 development plan.

Peter Mutharika, left, of the Democratic Progressive Party, and Lazarus Chakwera, leader of the Malawi Congress Party

In that development plan—endorsed both by then leader President Bakili Muluzi and opposition leader Gwamba Chakuamba—there was a prophecy, a vision, of what Malawi, development wise, will be in year 2020.

The prophecy was:

By the year 2020, Malawi as a God-fearing nation will be secure, democratically mature, environmentally sustainable, self-reliant with equal opportunities for and active participation by all, having social services, vibrant cultural and religious values and being a technologically driven middle-income economy.”

The key word, in the 1998 development policy, was that by the year 2020, the year we are in today, Malawi will be a ‘technologically driven middle-income economy’.

By definition, middle-income economy are those with $1,026 to $12,475 in per capita and, currently, countries such as Brazil, China, Russia, India and China fall in this category.

Evidently, by any definition, Malawi has missed the 1998 prophecy. As such, we need another prophecy.

What is interesting, however, is that Malawi is searching for a new development prophecy through a 2019 election being repeated, prophetically, in 2020.

To mean, the June 23 elections next week Tuesday is a perfect accident, prophetically put in place to usher in leadership that will rewrite the new ‘Vision 2020’ for Malawi.

The question, then, is: at this critical prophetic year of 2020, with June 23 elections in mind, who, between Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and President Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) and UDF alliance, is well placed to take Malawi on a new journey to take up and fulfill the botched 1998 prophecy?

Having been in government for years including being a president, Mutharika is riding on the promise of his experience as bait to woo voters.

In Mutharika, Malawians bore the witness and they are self-evident of what a leader he is, because they have experienced his leadership.  Tired and tested.

In other words, it’s not what Mutharika has said on the campaign trail that will earn him re-election; rather, it’s what Malawians know regarding what he can do, given power, that will keep him in power.

The question for Mutharika then, is: Is there anything, in President Mutharika’s leadership experience, that Malawi needs at this critical period to take up and fulfill the botched Vision 2020?

Chakwera represents the rawness in state craft as somebody who has never been in any government position.

In his rawness, he is making a case of renewed leadership, one that is corrupt free, adheres to the rule of law, enhances national unity and meets the needs of the less fortunate.

Definitely, as Malawians go to the polls this Tuesday, the driving question will stop at choosing either experience which Mutharika personifies or rawness which Chakwera symbolizes.

The choice is yours.

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Luka
Luka
4 years ago

Deadman walking – deadman talking – deadman stumbling – deadman mumbling. Finally, it’s time to bury the deadman at the polls.

Maunits
Maunits
4 years ago

Chakwera is to carry to the day. He has demonstrated clean politics of no hatelage

nyapakwanja
nyapakwanja
4 years ago

It doesn’t require experience to run government, it only requires Vision and being focused. With his so called experience this Country has sunk so low in almost everything. Experience or no Experience, this vote is to deal away with Nepotism, corruption, Tribalism and to promote rule of law which doesn’t require experience. So, whether they paid you to write this article Know that every sane person can see change that is coming after 23 June. Change can not be stopped.

CHILIMA-COVIDIOT
CHILIMA-COVIDIOT
4 years ago

Kodi wonse alayansi
Iwinila mavotiake ochokela kuti?
Chilipo apa ndiye
a onse alayansi akungopelekeza amfumu
kuledzela basi
Ikungo wophsya poitchula
Koma siyingamake
Ndi dzina chabe

Wawa aNgoni
Wawa aNgoni
4 years ago

Which experience can you point at with all that mess?

Jamax
Jamax
4 years ago

If we are to go by experience then let’s give Peter a chance to finish his last 5 years – as we can see and hear what he is doing and what he plans to do I think he is the right person.. So many roads are being constructed, he is building Comunity Colleges in each District, He is building Stadiums in each district plus the Bullets/Noma Stadiums, 200 Secondary Schools across the Country, Irrigation schemes in all three regions, Water projects etc. But if he fails to complete in his last term then people can have no option but… Read more »

Luka
Luka
4 years ago
Reply to  Jamax

It is clear from your comment that he has not given eyes to the blind.

Munyasiwa
Munyasiwa
4 years ago

The experience of picking Chimulilenji as a vice? He has a Chimulilenji thinking that can not benefit Malawi but him

Luthando
Luthando
4 years ago
Reply to  Munyasiwa

I like the ‘Chimulilenji thinking😂😂😂

Luka
Luka
4 years ago
Reply to  Luthando

Yes, but he was skilled at stuffing a shirt and filling out a suit.

Soldier
4 years ago

What experience are you talking about, huh?. we have experienced and still experiencing these things corruption experience, failure experience, nepotism experience, tribalism experience under agogo…so we are not going to vote for Peter!!!! Chakwela Chakwela basi ndi Tonse Alliance

Mpakaten
4 years ago

Kamuzu ruled Malawi without experience, – he had to learn on the job. With or without experience the presidency is for everyone.Did Muluzi or Bingu have experience of presidency? As a matter of fact, Bingu handled this country extremely well without any political experience, not even having been a Councillor anywhere.This is why Presidents have advisors who are supposed to be technocrats unfortunately, here we look for those who assisted us in running the campaign as a reward.

Fiskani
Fiskani
4 years ago
Reply to  Mpakaten

Kamuzu was minister of local government under Roy wellensky before he formed the next government as prime minister, later became president. Zofunika experience izi

Mangochi Kabwafu
Mangochi Kabwafu
4 years ago

Tick tock, tick tock counting down. Tonse alliance motoooooooo. Chakwera/Chilima motoooooooo.

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