If Chakwera wins Malawi presidency, brace for destructive political fight in Tonse Alliance

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential hopeful Lazarus Chakwera is driving a heavily-packed opposition Tonse Alliance, but that shouldn’t worry you.

What should worry you is that, inside this alliance, there are several toxic politicians, pregnant with unlimited expectations of how they will be rewarded through awards of government jobs and  business tenders.

If Chakwera and his heavily-packed Tonse Alliance members don’t resolve these things today, I shudder to think of the political instability in the offing.

Let’s get down to facts.

MCP has been out of government for, as of this year, 26 years now and, in all these years they wanted to get government, this is the moment they are so close.

It is because they are so close, that is why, if you can see, MCP is now easily attracting people from all regions, people of various ages—in other words, the party is now becoming attractive to anybody.

In a country where being in government is a major source of affluence, this rush of ‘let me be close to MCP’ isn’t necessarily of noble intentions.

MCP is now just a means of accessing government jobs and tenders.

This is why, listen to me Malawi, Saulos Chilima, for all his ambitions, accepted being second-in-command.

This is why young professionals such as Daud Suleman have abandoned their careers and crisscrossing the entire country selling the new-fashioned MCP. This is Joyce Banda, instead of resting as a former president, is playing a third rate in Tonse Alliance.

This is why Timothy Mtambo, who made a name as an uncomprising young man as human rights activist, is now towing the MCP line everywhere under the guise of a People Power Movement. This is why you have all those other old political gurus snoring and dosing behind MCP.

The tragedy of it all is that Tonse Alliance is a just a patchwork of different interests—and if these interests won’t be met by Chakwera’s presidency, Malawians should expect a political whirlwind.

One, MCP alone has several people eyeing to usurp all government tenders and there are some, and they are many, eyes glued to being considered for senior ministerial and key government positions. They have waited for so long and they need to be rewarded.

UTM, too, has several personalities. Some, we know are recycled politicians and some are new in the trade—but the bottom line is that they are all expecting a reward.

What about Timothy Mtambo and his team so social media carpers; are they not expecting something—they are! The same goes to Joyce Banda and all other members of Tonse Alliance including Enock Chihana od Aford.

The point is that all these people have their eyes on sharing our taxes amongst themselves—dubiously or otherwise; this will happen.

The question is: Can Chakwera’s presidency, if elected, manage to contain this great expectation among his fellow alliance members?

I shudder to think.

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