Guest spot: MCP President elect Dr Chakwera
The ushering in of the Reverend Lazarus Chakwera as president of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) at Natural Resources College has brought excitement within the structure of the country’s oldest party as well as the national political terrain. In this interview I ask him how he intends to change the image of MCP.
Q: Having been a pastor for many years, you are relatively new in politics but you have find yourself going straight into the thick of things, taking over as leader of one of Malawi’s biggest parties. How confident are you that you will survive the game of politics?
A:
You know, when you want to pursue issue-based politics, I believe with the type of leadership that I exemplify and the people’s cries out there, I believe I represent a new direction and a new way of doing politics and that is precisely giving people hope. So, I have no question whatsoever as to whether I can survive or not, it is the same people that I serve that will make me survive.
Q: Former MCP president John Tembo is one of the most experienced politicians in Malawi and you are filling a gap left by such a veteran. Are you up to the task?
A:
Transitions are always delicate moments. MCP values, the most important one being unity, are that which really need to guide us now in taking the old blending it with the new and presenting the newborn party that is able then to navigate in the 21st century waters of democratic governance.
Q:
Leading MCP to tripartite elections would require a lot of financial resources, how financially capable are you to support both the party and your campaign as a presidential candidate in 2014?
A:
You ought to remember that in any organisation, the most important capital is human resources and in this regard, MCP prides itself as a party that has membership across the country and these people are our biggest asset. These are the people that will fund the campaign. Elsewhere campaigns are funded by those who believe in the principles that are presented or by those that really believe in the vision that is being portrayed. Parties have to be financed by cooperate organisations or individuals members and everyone who believe in the ideals and policies that particular party is expounding.
Q: What are your immediate plans for MCP, especially looking at a party which for 31 years was in government and along the way had its image bruised?
A:
One of my immediate tasks will be to rebuild the party and restore its old glory, old not in exactly the old way because this is a new MCP and bring unity in the party where old and new members work together. That’s going to be the challenge with the balancing act that needs to be done well so that everyone feels I am part of a new party that has integrated the old and the new and together we are moving in one direction with a possibility that this is the engine that drives us in the new direction Malawians desire.
Q: How are you going to relate with the older guards in the party?
A:
The tenets of democratic principles is such that though you may ‘fight’ for positions, at the end of the day you are all Malawi Congress Party or if we speak nationally, we are all Malawians. We have seen it elsewhere, where people who compete for a position and one gets elected, everyone rallies behind that one and then they say we support this and they act together. So, this is the challenge that we have and we believe that it is a challenge we would be happy to embark on. My desire is that everybody will come on board and say we represent one MCP.
Q:
Going this far in your position; how has your relationship with the former president of the party been?
A:
My relationship with the former President is cordial as it has always been.
Q: Going by the speeches at the convention, it seems there is a suggestion that a special position has to be created for Tembo as a way of honouring him as a retired leader of the party. As president of the party, what is your position on this?
A:
There is no disputing the fact that Honourable Tembo has been a central figure in Malawian politics for a long time, but you also remember that he says that he is retired and retired means that he has retired. However, that does not mean useless because retired people are a whole treasure house if I may use our Chichewa coinage ‘ndi nkhokwe’ of wisdom, of experience and anyone, not just MCP, but anyone can benefit from such wisdom across the nation because remember it’s about Malawi we are talking about.
Q: How do you rate your chances of making it into government next year?
A:
Very high indeed, I believe that the new MCP offer hope because people that are out there that are struggling are looking for a kind of leadership that I can provide along those I work with which would be selfless and which would be servant leadership because we would not want to portray the type of image that we are leaders to be served but leaders who are ready to provide service and direction.
Q:
Why should Malawians vote for you in 2014?
A:
If you go out in the village today to ask “do you know what vision this country has?” You find that there will be a multiplicity of answers bringing almost confusion like we are groping in the dark. I believe that we will signify that which Malawians as a nation want and also provide ambitious programmes that would take us all in that direction and become relevant in the sense that we develop a model of development that will be served by those ambitious programmes and plans. If MCP provides that, and it’s not a question of if because we are going to do that, people will say: let’s vote them into government.
