Putting Lovenss Gondwe in right perspective
The National Coalition for Rainbow (NARC) president Loveness Gondwe has confirmed her failure in politics to contest as presidential candidate in next year’s polls.
Gondwe, according a report in The Nation newspaper, says she will not contest because she has sensed that Malawians “cannot vote for another female president.”
Because of that she has shelved her plans to run as presidential candidate as of now.
But Gondwe’s withdrawal from the presidential race has been prompted by several factors and the one she is giving is just a scapegoat. She knows the truth herself.
In the first place, Gondwe has realized that there is no political party that can accept her as presidential candidate. Her efforts to usurp power from Alliance for Democracy leadership were foiled. At the Aford convention held recently in Mzuzu, Gondwe had plotted to take over the leadership of Aford through crooked means.
She brought supporters from her NARC party and convinced a few others from Aford to vote for her. But, Aford leadership led by Enock Chihana, froze her plans . Chihana’s argument was that there was no coalition or alliance between NARC and Aford and therefore, Gondwe could not participate in the convention.
It was a comedy of some kind when Gondwe was barred from the convention. She arrived at the convention and was seen distributing leaflets lazily and without hope. She appeared like a cartoon at the scene of the drama.
The convention was held and she was out of it. She tried to fight for her recognition later through a splinter group of Aford but to no avail till now. The group asked for another convention but that remains a dream.
The real reason why Gondwe wanted to usurp power from Aford was to impress her donors who were on her neck for misappropriating their aid money meant for the party, National Rainbow Coalition.
The donors were disappointed with Gondwe who was cheating them that her party was very strong and had many supporters when on the ground it was to the contrary. This was revealed by a senior member of NARC. The member said Gondwe used donor funds to personal use.
The plans to usurp power from Aford were a second choice. The first choice was when she convened a meeting of all parties in the northern region at St. Johns of God where she asked the delegates to form one formidable force from the region in readiness for the polls next year.
She had funded the meeting and later some parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together towards the 2014 elections. Her expectations were that the united parties would approach elections as one force with her as presidential candidate but alas, it did not work for her.
Seeing that presidential ambitions are shuttered now, she has opted to stand as parliamentary candidate. And she the reason she gives for shelving her presidential ambitions is naïve and ill-placed. She says it is because she has sensed that Malawians cannot vote for another female president. Is that really true? Gondwe should learn to tell the truth. Politics has failed her and nothing else.
What is the point of having a political party and heading it when as a leader, you fear to contest as presidential candidate? Such are the parties that must be dissolved or de-registered because they simply add to the list in vain.
The current president Joyce Banda has a stronger and well-funded party as compared to her NARC party. The Mudzi Transformation programme has already won the hearts of many who are ready and willing to vote for her. What does Gondwe have to offer?
Find better reasons to justify your political failures, Madam Gondwe.
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