On Wednesday, Malawians waited 20 hours for President Lazarus Chakwera’s New Year niceties.
During his first public appearance in 2025, the President left it to the State-owned Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) to announce a new Cabinet accountability advocate Willy Kambwandira termed “old wine in a new skin”.
From unveiling Cabinet ministers to commemorative speeches, the President has mastered the dark arts of addressing the nation at night.
The national address came 32 hours after New Year fireworks on Kiritimati Island, central Pacific, had sparked global festivities.
From the start of his tenure on June 28 2020, the former opposition leader, who pledged to clear the rubble of corruption and passivity, is ostensibly in no hurry to make big calls.
Despite the popular protests and the annulment of a messy vote that threatened his political career, he took weeks to name his first Cabinet—a tale of a risen Lazarus who appeared not ready to govern despite signs of a likely victory.
If the delayed Cabinet exposed the lack of nerve and urgency, the nocturnal announcement set the tone for more of the same.
To presidential press secretary Anthony Kasunda, it is what it is elsewhere—prime time politics.
When asked why the President consistently addresses Malawians at night, his spin doctor said: “The reason is simple: It’s prime time.
“Ask your colleagues at MBC, 8pm is the time when many people are back from work and couched at home, watching news.”
However, social accountability campaigners find it weird that the President, who promised to govern with nothing to hide, predominantly transacts this State business when darkness falls.
Democracy dies in darkness, they warn.
They say with several digital media gateways, including live streaming tools on social media, Chakwera needs not wait for prime time.
Digital technologies transcend boundaries, boosting the ease to get the big news anytime and anywhere—in their homes, on the go, at work and online.
“People who find a presidential address worthwhile will stop everything they are doing to listen in or watch what he says,” argues an activist, who opted for anonymity.
The activist terms it ironic that the politician who bombards the nation with live broadcasts of his day-time public rallies leaves it until late in the night to officially address Malawians.
Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willie Kambwandira says this could be an accountability test for the President and his handlers.
He says it is unfortunate that despite the promise to end an era of secrecy, the President continues to address the nation “when some citizens have gone to sleep”.
Argues Kambwandira: “This somehow defeats the purpose of a national address, which is to inform Malawians about issues facing the nation and how his administration plans to address them.
“In the absence of a good explanation, one would conclude that the President does this deliberately not to give Malawians and the media adequate time for deep analysis and to hold him to account.”
He opines that the nightly statements could be symptomatic of growing reluctance to update Malawians on sticky issues such as the enduring forex shortage, fuel scarcity, hunger and skyrocketing prices.
“This further raises suspicion that the President does not want to face Malawians. Otherwise, in the myriad of challenges facing the country, one would expect the President to address the nation during the day to reach a wider population,” he stated.
Media and political science scholar Chimwemwe Tsitsi warns that there is a thin line between prime time politics and being allergic to accountability.
He states: “Most Malawians get news on the radio, so the presumption is that they [State House] want to get the full attention of everyone as people are back in their homes after work or any other business.
“However, this is one-way communication. When the President is making those speeches, it’s only himself, his handlers and staff from the State broadcaster. There is no question time for journalists from other media houses. In this case, the timing may be a sign that they are not very keen to take questions or they are running away from in-depth analysis of the President’s message.”
The expert from Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences ranks the print media as the worst hit due to tight deadline, which leaves them and expert sources with little time to dissect the bedtime speeches.
“The broadcast media has some room for analysis, but cannot do so because they don’t have 24-hour news cycles like CNN or BBC. They knock off, leaving music videos, replays of old programmes and relays from foreign broadcasters on air,” he states.
In his acceptance speech, Chakwera promised to pursue his dream of a better Malawi for everyone “not just as your servants accountable to the voters, but as stewards of hope for millions of children, born or unborn, who have no vote”.
However, the President’s addresses rain when most children are fast asleep, especially the rural majority who go to sleep just after sunset because 40-plus years since Malawi Rural Electrification Programme took shape, only four percent of the countryside has electricity.
Even these were glued to the radio and TVs that morning Chakwera promised to “usher in the dawn of government accountability”.
In keeping with the promise, Chakwera activated the Access to Information Act and continues to take questions in Parliament as required by the Constitution.
However, he soon halted fortnightly encounters with the press and the promised meetings with the leader of opposition.
This, coupled with the nightly addresses and stuttering war on corruption, cast a shadow over transparency and accountability.
