Nation newspaper says Malawi may risk reverting to a one–party: ‘MCP squabbles put democracy at stake’

Main opposition and the country’s oldest party Malawi Congress Party (MCP) continued infighting is worrisome as it puts the country’s hard won democracy at state and the party has been advised to stop the political bickering.

MCP Regional Chairmen on Thursday challenged   their secretary general Gustav Kaliwo and his deputy Chatonda Kaunda that the party would be holding a national convention from July 7 to 9 this year following growing concerns with the leadership, saying they should wait for 2018 for the party National Executive Committee (NEC) to call for the convention.

Malawians expected MCP to go into a serious rebuilding exercise ahead of the 2019 Tripartie Elections, but unfortunately as The Nation newspaper editorial comment of Friday puts it,  this is not what is happening in the party.

The paper obrseved that the bickering is “weakening the party” which is yet to make remarkable inroads into the South where the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its political bedfellow United Democratic Front (UDF) have  total control.

The comment also noted that why MCP are in fiery internal squabbles, DPP and UDF seem to have gone into a serious programme to consolidate their grip to power.

“These squabbles will not only hurt MCP, but Malawi as a whole as they will rob the country of meangiful opposition  in and outside parliament,” the editorial reads in part.

It pointed out that Malawi may risk reverting to a one –party system of government, especially with the People’s Party which also seems to have lost the steam.

“We implore MCP leaders to put aside their differences and start working towards building and not destroying the party,” said The Nation editorial comment, urging MCP president Lazarous Chakwera and his adversary secretary general Kaliwo to be “talking to each other so that they iron out their difference.”

And the paper also quoted Mzuzu-based political commentator Emily Mkamanga who expressed concern with MCP infighting with only two years before elections.

She said MCP as the oldest party in the country and the official opposition  was supposed to be “exemplary.”

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