APM’s bipartisan politics

Honourable Folks, painful as it is that a legal technicality prevented the Malawi Electoral Commission from sorting out irregularities before announcing the winner in the 2014 presidential election, it’s heartening that Malawians have moved on.

One would hope that never again should there be a repeat of the kind of mess that rocked this year’s polls. MEC, government, donor partners and observers—both domestic and foreign—take that as a free advice.

The tripartite elections were an experiment at multi-tasking without first building the capacity and know-how and we nearly lost the one thing we Malawians have all along proudly passed on to our children—peace and tranquillity.

The world has witnessed with shock botched elections—the hallmark of democracy—leading to a needless bloodbath in Kenya (2007), Zimbabwe (2008) and Cote d’Ivoire (2011). We do not wish to be the next casualty of flawed polls in sub-Saharan Africa.

While there’s no denying that it’s virtually impossible to conduct perfect polls, we also know that the problem with this year’s polls was that, besides the many flaws—the messy voter roll, the messy distribution of voter materials, the horrible tallying, etc.—MEC announced the winner of the presidential race prematurely in the name of observing the rule of law.

The remedy MEC Chair Maxon Mbendera had for the aggrieved parties, who bombarded MEC with hundreds of queries, was to seek recourse in the courts. That nobody has gone to the courts isn’t because all is well but because of the futility of that course. Nowhere in the world have results of disputed presidential elections been reversed by the courts after the winner has been declared and sworn in.

I’m in no way suggesting that APM would not have emerged the winner had MEC been given a chance to sort out the irregularities before announcing the poll results.

Afro-Barometer who built a reputation by their 2009 survey which accurately reflected the outcome of presidential election then, again conducted a voter survey this year which tipped APM to win by the margin reflected in the results.

The EU observer mission has also issued a report which validates APM’s victory.

How nice it would have been had the validation of APM’s victory been through MEC after being given time to clear what MEC itself lamented to be glaring irregularities! The image that still haunts is that of a strongman breaking down as he was about to declare the winner. I don’t buy the explanation that it was caused by the loss of a life in post-election fracas in Mangochi.

But, as they say, elections are now water under the bridge. APM seems to be at ease at the helm of a minority government. His predecessors went round such hurdles by tampering with the Constitution so gullible MPs from the opposition could cross the floor to the government side while clipping the Speaker’s wings so he could not invoke Section 65 to declare vacant their seats.

Instead, APM’s administration says it would respect and uphold Section 65. That can only happen in the belief that it means well and that it also trusts the opposition will act in good faith. More than words, that’s an olive branch to the opposition!

Now is the time and space for the opposition in Parliament, led by MCP president Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, to meaningfully provide the alternative view that can help make a good policy better (there’s always room for improvement) while providing checks and balances without let or hindrance.

The last time the opposition had the numerical supremacy in the House, they wasted their energy to trying to impeach the President and when that failed, they became so petty that they held government business to ransom, angering the electorate in the process. The price was paid in 2009 when DPP swept the presidency and more than enough parliamentary seats to pass bills and change the Constitution easily.

Chakwera-led opposition can only be expected to work with integrity—allowing government to function, criticising where criticism is due while upholding the supremacy of the Constitution and the laws of the land. What either side must avoid is pushing for change for partisan gain. We want “change we can believe in” as we start rebuilding Malawi together after moving in circles for the past 50 years.