It’s an honour

F

ootball unites Malawians and this is the reason newly ejected president Peter Mutharika delivered buses and promises of stadia to Nyasa Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers.

For many years, the Malawi national team, the Flames, has failed to bring good results, but misery upon misery.

Unsurprisingly, the fresh presidential election held on  June 23 seems to unite Malawians more than the beautiful game.

Many Malawians appear to be glad about the outcome of the election managed by Justice Chifundo Kachale’s commission.

His final determination on Saturday night filled in a gap left by a long spell of happiness drought made worse by mass protests and court battles catalysed by the nullified presidential election of May 2019.

This time, many Malawians who were anticipating nothing short of credible elections have a reason to smile.

Since the restoration of multiparty democracy in Malawi, each election has sparked protests. However, the irregularities in last year’s poll left Malawians torching anything in their way.

Following the opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera’s win, Malawians have been roasting anything roastable—celebrating the return of democracy.

It’s an honour!

To amplify their ‘itsanana’ happiness amid the coronavirus pandemic, Malawians assembled at Malawi Square in Lilongwe to witness the coronation of the sixth president.

They arrived in anxiety and went home pampered by the new vision to “restore a new generation’s faith in the possibility of having a government that serves, not a government that rules; a government that inspires, not a government that infuriates; a government that listens, not a government that shouts; a government that fights for you, not against you.”

This is something we rarely heard from Chakwera’s predecessor.

It’s an honour to see people so excited. Itsanana, to put in Chakwera’s slang.

The itsanana happiness has immediately become a pandemic and will spread exponentially in days to come, especially during the inauguration on July 6—the Independence Day. 

However, this wave of happiness and optimism is not a coincidence and should never be taken for granted.

 It confirms that Malawians, for once, are united behind the outcome of the 23 June poll. They believe that it is possible to have a new Malawi that Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima promised.

Malawians have a belief and trust in the process and system that delivered the fresh election.

Bravo Kachale and his commission for delivering a bouncing baby and not ‘swapping’ the newborns.

Malawians have spoken just as they did in 1993 and 1994 when they booted out Malawi Congress Party   (MCP). Malawians have the ultimate power to hire and fire.

Therefore, I hope that the Tonse Alliance will hit the ground running. There is no honeymoon in politics.

Malawians sick and tired of hunger and poverty are expecting the new regime to give them the promised three meals a day now. They need one million jobs now and bloody mass recruitment jokes.  They need fertiliser worth K4 4 950 a bag before they plant the next crop.

Malawians expect no further stories on ending corruption and impunity. They want closure on cases of diesel theft at the Electricity Generation Company (Egenco), investigation of widespread corruption in high offices and justice for Nsundwe women who were raped by the police.

Malawians are anxiously expecting duty-free weeks to import their cement and other essentials too.

Above all, they do not expect a repeat of the dark chapter they endured, but a taste of servant leadership. Chakwera and Chilima must lead from the front.

As requested by ‘servant-in-chief’ Chakwera in his acceptance speech, his bosses, the citizens, have trusted the Tonse Alliance administration to turn their victory into a win for all Malawians irrespective of the political divide.

The election that has united Malawians is a call to improved service delivery as an immediate dividend for their vote regardless of whose box they ticked.

A win for all will be an honour for generations to come.