Violence was wrong in Ndirance, violence is wrong in Phalombe: It must stop! 

Politically-induced violence appears to be making a steady comeback on the scene and we should all be worried.

Whether it is in Ndirande where some zealots hurled stones at President Peter Mutharika’s convoy, or, it is in Phalombe where Vice-president Saulos Chilima on Friday cut short his campaign after a series of stones fired on his convoy; as a nation, we need to start a serious conversation on this cancer.

It is a cancer that, if left unattended to, we will drift into a season of political pain and sorrow.

Truth be told, political violence doesn’t just sprung from the vacuum. There is always a force behind it, someone carefully planning it.

Let’s face facts here: The current spate of Chilima-targeted violence in Phalombe is a careful reaction to the Mutharika-targeted violence weeks ago in Ndirande.

There must have been a feeling, within the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ranks, that what Mutharika faced in Ndirande was the work of some UTM die-hards.

It believed, rightly and wrongly, that UTM controls much of the urban vote, especially, high density and politically-hot areas such Ndirande and Kawale.

Taking it from this angle, it is easy to argue some people in Phalombe planned a ‘revenge’ on Chilima once he steps in Llomwe belt.

The Ndirande and Phalombe violence debate can go days, even months.

But what we can’t take away is that there is a giant political tussle between UDF/DPP alliance and UTM’s Chilima—not necessarily MCP.

These two blocks—or let me say, Mutharika and Atupele on one side, and Chilima on the other—holds the key to stop the spate of political violence being experienced. These two blocks must stand up and stop the overzealous few in their midst who are planning and executing spates of political violence.

The challenge is that our leaders are paying lip service to this rising challenge of violence.

UTM and MCP were dead silence after a presidential motorcade was stoned in Ndirande. I expected Lazarus Chakwera and Chilima to condemn the incidence in strongest terms as barbaric and archaic. They chose silence.

Similarly, I am not expecting any condemnation from DPP/UDF alliance on the violence Chilima has suffered in Phalombe. I expect them to act like nothing has happened—just going about with campaign.

 

We will always have a challenge when our leaders chooses which wrong to and not to condemn.

Violence is barbaric and archaic for our democracy and it must be condemned and stopped at all cost—it doesn’t matter where it is taking.

I expect out leaders to stand, lock hands and stop this rising danger of political violence. It must be done now.

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