Augment the Argument by Cosmas Steven Mvula
The current battle in Karonga central constituency is meant to awaken the giants in us of the impending infighting within the Tonse Alliance as the next election in 2025 draws closer.
It seems MCP and UTM have forgotten that they are the big parties in the alliance which somehow I can be tempted to refer to as the only parties in the alliance. But look at the manner with which the two parties are cultivating the political hate that is fast catching them than they can prove to be astute enough to defeat it?
What is this telling us about the fighting and bad-mouthing ahead of us in a few years to come? Isn’t it forcing us to skew towards foreseeing the in-house battle in the Tonse Alliance?
Now, as I try to connect the dots I feel the battle isn’t easy to calm and the rumbling within the alliance isn’t easy to pacify. For instance, Chilima said (perhaps just to buy public sympathy in the next elections) that the presidency will rotate within the parties which was implicitly responded to with unofficial news announcing his illegibility to contest as the president of Malawi come 2025.
As its normal that politicians best play hypocrisy act mindset change isn’t as easy as the vice president put it. It’s a battle that we need to work hard to fight and defeat if at all, as a nation, we need to see progress in different aspects of our lives.
Check this! If MCP and UTM are in a true romance I guess they would have talked of featuring one candidate in every constituency where the by-elections are being held. But alas! They chose otherwise.
They chose to allow birthing of hate amongst themselves. They allowed hate to sprout without taking steps to avoid them before they came up on the actual ground. What type of mindset change is this? Isn’t this passing a different message to us?
This, in itself, tells us that both parties are working on building popularity on the ground and getting themselves poised for the 2025 battle
With the demise of the DPP it fits to conclude that come 2025 the big parties will still be MCP And UTM. It seems that both camps love the presidency and no one is comfortable with playing second fiddle to another and staying content with it. In MCP, the growing pressure is to retain the presidency whilst in UTM the salivation to taste the presidency is growing at a rocket speed. Doesn’t this draw us to comprehend how bad things are in the Tonse Alliance?
UTM on the other hand still has that feeling Chilima had when announced a sever of the bond with the DDP. He was quoted as “Simukanawina inuyo chipanda ineyo”. UTM has the same feeling now and though it is true with supporting evidence on the ground for all to savour does it mean the two parties should get lost in pulling each other down? No!
Before the two parties are ordinary Malawians who expect a lot from them and not to witness the unnecessary bickering of giants. Malawians are raring to see the promises of the alliance delivered and enjoyed by the citizenry. Malawians are ready to witness rebranded politics of truthfulness and not decorated by unnecessary lies. Malawians want to wave bye to hunger and poverty (a tough call). Malawians want to keep a government managed by unselfish people and people who have the welfare of Malawians at heart. This is something that can be achieved by putting our efforts together as a nation.
Back to Karonga central constituency, the battle between Frank Tumpale Mwenefumbo of UTM and Leonard Mwalwanda of MCP has registered many ugly scenes as if there isn’t an ounce of romance between the two parties. Even if we put aside the working relationship between the two parties it doesn’t call for any justification for the reported violence. As the situation on the ground is worsening it seems the leaders of the two parties are playing blind to it all merely because of the said numbers they are working hard to bring home. Is this the way to go? Who do you put first, Malawians or your parties?
Come 2025 and with the 50+1 effect and the “I’m big feeling” of both MCP and UTM; the Tonse alliance will disband, more violence will be registered and new alliances will eventually come into effect.
We won’t be surprised to see either MCP or UTM in the opposition come September 2025.
