‘We’re fighting for Malawi, not likes!’ Atupele’s defiant response to ‘content creator’ yaunt

ATUPELE Muluzi has hit back at claims that he and UTM chief Dalitso Kabambe are turning into political “content creators”, insisting Facebook is just one weapon in the fight to rescue Malawi from its mounting crises.

The row erupted after Daily Times columnist Davie Mchinga accused the two opposition heavyweights of spending too much time winning applause online and too little time building grassroots support and detailed policy alternatives.

In a stinging column titled Atupele, Kabambe risk becoming “content creators”, Mchinga argued that Facebook had become the pair’s preferred political battleground, with regular posts attacking the government’s handling of the economy and national affairs.

But he warned that likes, shares and viral posts do not win elections.

The columnist challenged the opposition leaders to move beyond social media criticism and tell Malawians exactly how they would tackle the country’s debt crisis, reform costly subsidy programmes and revive the struggling economy.

He also argued that millions of rural voters who will ultimately decide the next election are not spending their days scrolling through Facebook.

Instead, he said, politicians serious about State House should be packing community halls, touring villages and dominating local radio stations rather than chasing online engagement.

Mchinga’s warning was blunt: spend too much time on social media and politicians risk becoming entertainers rather than leaders.

But Muluzi was having none of it.

Firing back in a lengthy Facebook response, the UDF leader said opposition leadership does not begin and end in Parliament and insisted social media remains a crucial platform for reaching Malawians, particularly the youth.

He rejected any suggestion that his online presence comes at the expense of serious policy work.

Muluzi pointed to his much-publicised Business First Strategy, which he says outlines solutions for Malawi’s economic woes through trade expansion, investment, agricultural growth and private sector development.

He also highlighted his contribution to the political book Why Liberation Movements Fail, saying his focus remains firmly on developing ideas capable of transforming the country.

Turning the heat on the media, Muluzi questioned why newspapers often devote more space to personalities and political drama than to fuel shortages, the forex crunch, unemployment, the cost-of-living crisis and failing public services.

“The real question,” he argued, “is not whether opposition leaders are becoming content creators.”

Instead, he said the bigger issue is whether government, opposition parties and the media are doing enough to confront Malawi’s growing challenges.

The explosive exchange has reignited a debate increasingly shaping modern politics: in the age of Facebook, are opposition leaders building movements, or simply building audiences?

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