Wind of change is in Malawi, no appetite for dictatorship
Any Malawian who was in the country during the three decades of dictatorship can remember well the sacrifices people made to get rid of the system.
Therefore, it is naive for any political leader to think that people of Malawi still have an appetite for dictatorship.
To show that the system is bad, no leader openly accepts to be a dictator even if he behaves like one. In a democratic Malawi, leadership can be reminded that ruling this country is not a one man show and, therefore, using uncensored speeches to dish out threats to citizens only creates fear, chaos and disunity.
Sadly, this is the situation in the country at the moment. Instead of getting ready for presidential rerun election which is coming soon, the President is creating political instability by not signing the required Bills for the smooth running of the elections.
By doing so, he has made people to be worried about their future. If not careful, the leadership must know that this is the genesis of voter apathy. Probably, this is what he wants, one can only wait and see.
When people of Malawi achieved multiparty democracy through a referendum in 1993, they were excited with the various freedoms, including that of expression.
They thought that suffering in silence would be a thing of the past. Little did they know that 25 years later, there will be some leadership behaviours leaning towards dictatorship. This is mostly done when there is a controversial issue and the leadership wants to be felt by using his powers. As it were, Malawians are ready to vote in the rerun presidential elections.
Expectations are that the campaigns will be based on a developmental agenda to get rid of the abject poverty in the country. This is people’s priority. This is not the time for candidates to promote ethnicity.
Malawi is one country with so many tribes and it goes without saying that no one should claim that he and his tribe have a monopoly of wisdom to run the country all the time.
Indeed, a chorus of hate speeches at the recent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rally at Njamba in Blantyre was a jaw-dropping affair not fit for a democratic Malawi. There were some death threats and other pronouncements mostly towards Human Right Defenders Coalition (HRDC). Coincidentally, HRDC leaders were arrested a few hours thereafter.
Most people were left speechless. If this was the way of wooing voters, it left a lot to be desired and voters might just do the opposite. It is naive at this day and age for someone to think that Malawians want a macho type of leadership whose only priority is to specialise in converting public resources into personal fortunes.
As a cover up, such a leader specialises in making threats and intimidation to all people, including those around him who are his supporters. It is an obvious fact that Malawians suffered under the dictatorship. However, the suffering was pacified by a booming economy. It has been proved beyond any doubt that democracy without economic freedom is meaningless. People are being forced to clap hands for imaginary success by the President and his government. People are prone to all manner of bribery to defend the failed government.
The failed leadership also relies on his ethnic group for survival. Prof Patrick Lumumba of Kenya once said that if a leader promotes ethnicity, people can even elect a thief as a president and claim that even if he is a known thief he still belongs to their tribe and are willing to support him throughout.
At the moment, whether one likes it or not the wind of change is in Malawi. It is not use for anyone to delay the change.
Malawians have woken up that to be patriotic does not mean to stand with the President, but to stand with the country. Any form of dictatorship will not be tolerated.
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Ms Emily Mkamanga this is a well articulated article, I fully agree with what you wrote in this article, the change is now enawa alekeni
So Evil Mkamanga believe Nsundwe and the Terrorist HRD are fighting for Malawian democracy?
Not just her. There are a lot more
Am very lucky just because am a born free who was born during kamuzu and quite aware what dictatorship is all about.Let’s come to 1993 where malawians voted for multiparty democracy where by a black cock was defeated and during the then campaign MCP was busy telling people that they should not vote for multiparty just because multiparty was war.And to day the very same MCP is complaining about dictatorship by DPP leadership on which to my thinking and looking at the way things are on the ground I don’t see any dictatorship only that there is a misconception with our Malawi opposition parties just because the party president belongs to Lomwe and above that, the president is a brother to the late Bingu ,so they are putting it as dictatorship, and this is not dictatorship only that we malawians we are intoxicated with cheap politics, hate and divisions I don’t care whether the president may come from any tribe provided it’s a malawian no problem let’s just love one another at the end of the day we are all malawians we belong to mother Malawi only that these politicians Peter, Chakwera Chilima are the ones who are dividing us. My fellow malawians let us unite and reject tribalism let’s make Malawi a better place to stay for the future generations.
Indeed and well said some of us we were young that time when Malawian people were fighting the regime of the lions ,so it’s so stupid, foolish and naive for any political party leaders to think that he/she or they are so clever above the whole national, and what plains most some of these stupids leaders they were the ones who was on front to claim that they were fighting for democracy yet today they are also on for front to oppress the same democracy they claimed that they were fighting for, all in all my followers Malawians let hold our hands to fighting against those smooth climinals Bwela pano bale tiyime limodzi panthawi ino yomwe satana ali kungofikira, !!!Kango ndi Kango olo uwuchose Mano nsiku lina adzabwera udzalumabe ,Bwela pano bale tibvale dzilimbe panthawi ino yomwe satana ali kungotinyenga!!!!!! that’sit my followers
Is the nsundwe army a sign of democracy to come?
Emily Kamanga walemba bwinotu bwanawe ngakhale chizungu chinandiphonya koma ayi ndithu malagizo mwalemba apa afitiwa sakukonda moti uwamva sasowa poyakha poti iyo uzimu ndiumene unafa ngakhale ali moyo koma chabwino palibe mfiti ndi mfiti basi kwake nkuononga 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Well written. Fully agreed. Change now is inevitable.
Did I miss Emily’s article on the killing of a police man?
Mwawawonatu 🦆. Phweeeeeeee
Emily, when are you revamping AFORD. You seem to have good ideas for none-northern parties to implement.
Phweeeeeeee 🦆
Mkamanga, can you also write about our property and businesses that have been destroyed by MCP and HRDC (Mtambo, Trapence, Sembereka). You articles leave a lot to be desired. They smell Mzuzu Corner.
Phweeeeeeee 🦆
This was as a result of the careless and selfish government
And so the opposition failed to change the constitution and used a short-cut to bring in electoral laws. DO you call that genuine change?
Phweeeeeeee 🦆
What change is this that is forced by a few corrupt individuals?
Emily Mkamanga at it again – trying to lecture us about wind of change which is in fact a series of bribery that has corrupted our judiciary and led to parliament bringing in electoral laws after failing to change the constitution.
Phweeeeeeee 🦆 mumanenadi zowona ayamba kuyankhula phweeeeeeee 🦆