…blames Covid, natural disasters for his failures
…DPP stole money, putting poison in the well
…Njamba rally shakes the President
Cheered and escorted by thousands of admirers, Peter Mutharika- Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President and Malawi’s fifth republican leader, travelled like old rulers, maybe Dr Kamuzu Banda’s welcome at Chileka on 6 July 1958 or Chakufwa Chihana at the High Court in Blantyre in April 1992.
President Lazarus Chakwera has spent this week at two public functions to try and change the narrative, accusing the DPP of theft, borrowing from ‘akatapila’ and lying about the challenges he has faced, saying he has spent the last four years laying a foundation for a better Malawi.
With his wife, Gertrude, they seemed to have turned demonstrators who saw DPP lose some of Blantyre city constituencies to love. Four years of President Lazarus Chakwera and his Malawi Congress Party, and of course of the obsolete Tonse Alliance, seems to have taken a toll on Blantyre residents.
Vice President Saulos Chilima’s jogging from Malawi’s political barometer- Ndirande-and stoning of Mutharika’s convoy in the same area now seems history. The people of Ndirande seem to have discovered that the old man was better than the American-inspired pastor.
Thousands- as videos show escorted, cheered and waved at Mutharika- some of the same youth who stoned his convoys, at least when their stomachs were full. At least when they sold cars like “bananas” everywhere.
But the parade in Blantyre and the speeches were monitored at plot number 1. It seems the President is waking up to reality a bit late. That he is unpopular, at least 10 percent of rural Malawians believe what he says and only 18 percent in urban areas believe he is doing a good job- that’s is according to Afrobarometer which predicted his 60 percent win in 2020.
4 years later, Chakwera is laying a foundation
The President took to the podium, not once, but twice weekly to respond to the mega rally by Mutharika in what he called a fact check to reality. He spent more time during the Alliance One tractor scheme launch in Lilongwe.
President Chakwera said, “People stole money and were not followed up.” They were now making noise and provoking him, saying that he had done nothing since being voted into power in June 2020.
“I was laying the foundation. When I went to Belgium a long time ago after the European Union Ambassador in Malawi said I should go and take advantage of it. I met Phillip Morris. These are the fruits of it. I have been laying the foundation for these things,” charged Chakwera, renowned for flying and blaming others for failing to manage the economy.
According to recent reports, Malawians are worse off than five years ago when President Chakwera campaigned in office.
His predecessor, Peter Mutharika, suggested he hire people with proper skills and competency who understand global issues and how the economy works, saying “that could help him change.”
But the President said the former leader is lying to Malawians by claiming his administration would be different if the DPP faced the calamities that have befallen his administration.
“Covid-19, Cyclones, natural disasters and the war in Ukraine have affected our efforts. The time to build people will experience the pain to get better,” said Chakwera, whose administration now is associated with daily price increases and shortages of essentials, including sugar.
“Governments are there to solve problems. Problems will always be there, and that is why people elect government. They are supposed to solve the problems and not always shift blame when asked. Malawians are now miserable and unhappy,” said the DPP president who added that countries such as Zambia, Mozambique and others experienced the same challenges as Malawi.
DPP stole money; we will win
“They are now comfortable with stolen money, and they are being provocative,” Chakwera told the audience who witnessed a loan tractor facility that farmers who work with Alliance One and its other companies will use and be charged as a loan.
“They should not stand on an anthill because nobody is following them. They borrowed with high interests, and countries stopped helping us,” said Chakwera, whose administration cancelled an IMF programme and struggled to bring it back.
IMF sources indicate the programme is off track.
On Tuesday, during the Kamuzu Day celebration, President Chakwera left the ceremony to engage in politics, charging that he is not leaving the government in 2025 but in 2030.
“Nobody should lie to you; we are not going anywhere until 2030,” challenged Chakwera after Mutharika had told the rally he addressed in Njamba that they should be prepared as the DPP is ready to reclaim government and save Malawians from current misery.
Chakwera was jolted into reality
The President’s reaction is surprising and shocking as the writing has been on the wall that his administration has failed and corruption, theft, and cluelessness have left most Malawians bitter- especially those that voted for Tonse Alliance in 2020, our analyst said.
They said the MCP was fed the wrong political intelligence that the DPP was finished and the moving out of Nankhumwa could impact its strength, which was contrary to what the Njamba rally demonstrated.
“That was a show of strength. Even coming from other districts without being paid, the majority came from Blantyre townships. That’s the reality that people are tired of the high cost of living, unending stories of mediocrity from passports to sugar availability to simply a President who can’t act on anything but speeches,” said an observer who said Chakwera needs an honest team to show him the reality.
The former President is expected to hold more rallies, and if the trend continues, the MCP will need a proper strategy to convince hungry and angry Malawians that it is capable of addressing the issues they are facing.
“You cant keep blaming DPP when you have been collecting and using taxes for four years. You can’t keep travelling when everyone is suffering. You can’t keep hiring from your tribe, or your tribesmen in Police torture others without thinking about who will vote for you in 2025. The MCP has always lost elections until UTM and the Peoples Party (of President Joyce Banda) paired with it. Its defiance and isolation of partners will be their own unmaking if you add the current economic failures,” noted another analyst.
