Tonse must be transparent on alliance deal as Malawi government-in-waiting

One of the greatest political problems of our age is the lack of transparency from the people or institutions that manage our public affairs.

It is even scary when one of the institutions practicing lack of transparency is the group of people that have come together with an intention of getting into government and manage affairs of the public.

A group of nine political parties, under the banner of Tonse Alliance, has formed a political block aimed at removing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from power.

The mathematics around the figures from the previous polls does, of course, give hope that Tonse Alliance can, indeed, form the next government.

However, if Tonse Alliance wins, there are serious asked and unasked questions regarding how they will govern as a block because, as we stand, none in the public is aware as to what parties to this alliance agreed upon.

What we know, so far, is not comprehensive: Lazarus Chakwera will lead,  Saulos Klaus Chilima will be vice-president—no details regarding what other key figures such as Joyce Banda, Khumbo Kachali and Timothy Mtambo, to name but a few, will do.

As people kept asking questions, it was the Njamba Rally in Blantyre, weeks ago, that sparked it all.

Chilima told the gathering that, once in power, he will be the Finance Minister and, most importantly, he will take over from Chakwera in tune with the rotational presidency pact.

Sweet as it felt to the eyes of UTM followers—not sure of other alliance partners; Chakwera, days later, came back with a response that left the nation in deep shock.

He told Brian Banda of Times Television that nothing regarding what Chilima had earlier said had been agreed upon.

So which way Tonse Alliance?

Factually speaking, all parties to this alliance have expectations regarding what they will benefit once in power.

MCP and its followers have waited for over 25 years. Chilima and his team have also worked so hard. Mtambo and his comrades are all over. So are all other parties to the alliance.

If followers of each of the parties to the alliance are still in the dark of what they will benefit once in power, frustrations will follow leading to two dangers that can cost Tonse Alliance’s bid for the presidency.

The first danger is that the most frustrated ones will punish Tonse Alliance by voting the DPP/UDF alliance; and the second danger, which is common according to research, is that the least frustrated ones will just stay away from voting.

Leadership of Tonse Alliance should not fool the public into thinking that all is rosy in their fold. It is not.

It is rumored that the reason Chilima went public about the issue of him being finance minister and Chakwera being one-term president was because of the pressure he was getting from his party gurus and followers.

Similarly, the reason Chakwera went to Times TV was, solely, to calm down his followers because they couldn’t swallow the one-term president issue.

Arguably, Chakwera and Chilima, as leaders, aren’t respecting their followers by not committing to a shared duty of divulging the needed details of their deal.

The only way this can come to an end is through being transparent: Tonse Alliance leadership must come out of the cocoon and share with the public the contents of their deal.  Hold a news conference and come clear.

Even if it means giving the public shadow Cabinet—there is nothing wrong; it only enhances trust and confidence.

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