Of DPP’s endless drama, confusion
Folks, sometime in the biblical era, according to the Book of Genesis, God miraculously confused the language of Babylonians who wanted to make a name for themselves by building a mighty tower that would reach the heavens.
However, God, in order to show his authority, disrupted their work by confusing the language of the workers to the extent that they could no longer understand one another. Instead of being unified by one language, the builders of the Babel Tower were divided into separate nations with distinct languages.
Somehow, this narrative correlates with the squabbles in the former ruling DPP which is disintegrating instead re-organising itself into a formidable block in the run up to the 2025 elections.
Not long ago, I predicted more drama in the main opposition DPP following the initial endorsement of party leader Peter Mutharika as DPP’s presidential candidate in the 2025 presidential race by DPP’s Northern Region Committee in April this year.
And since then, the blue camp has been burdened with acute political diarrhoea particularly inflicted by one camp that sympathises with Kondwani Nankhumwa, who is the DPP vice-president for the South and leads the opposition in Parliament.
Actually I recall saying one day that you need to be a complete stranger from mars to be shocked by the worsening divisions and intraparty fights in DPP, which was similarly founded, established and built on the foundation… check history.
Now, this week again Malawians witnessed so much drama in DPP with Mutharika (turning 83 years old this year) at the centre of the confusion. In the past few days, Malawians have been bombarded with endorsements of the old man by some senior party members, including lawmakers, who are convinced that the party has no future without Mutharika.
One thing that comes out clear in all this confusion
is the fact that one presidential aspirant is politically powerful compared to the other wannabe contenders, but his only challenge is that he fell out of favour with the inner circle that has hands close to the party’s mantle.
Of course the country’s constitution does not bar APM from seeking office again in 2025 because he only served one five-year term. But during his tenure between 2014 and 2020, he demonstrated weariness manifested by his regular absence on State duties.
Still, my my view is this… the continued endorsements by some DPP leaders for Mutharika to stand again in 2025 are somehow pointing at a systematic divide-and-rule crusade aimed at ensuring that one or two ‘less popular’ aspirants ride on his back by proxy and subsequently becomes the party’s torchbearer in 2025.
By the way, I am certain Mutharika has not enough political energy remaining to campaign in the forthcoming polls compared to 2014. Even ahead of 2019, he did not campaign but left the job in the hands of Nankhumwa and Everton Chimulirenji, a State vice-president that never was.
His Alliance partner Atupele Muluzi took over again in 2020 safe for two, three, or four occasions when Mutharika personally went out to campaign following the decision of the High Court, sitting as the constitutional Court, to nullify the 2019 presidential vote and order a fresh election that took place in June 2020.
I just reminded you again that this party was founded and built on confusion starting with how its founder Bingu wa Mutharika dumped UDF, which first sponsored him to power in 2004.
Confusion has raged in this party ever since, especially when elections loom and sometimes you can conclude that the Mutharikas made it a silent policy to be undemocratic when time for electing party leaders come.
After Bingu’s re-election in 2009, DPP chose the path of political inequality in electing leaders and people like Joyce Banda, Saulos Chilima and Henry Chimunthu-Banda, who once attempted to contest for DPP leadership but ended up being thrown under the bus systematically, know this very well.
Today, APM and his inner circle are back with their same old tricks and undemocratic tendencies ahead of 2025―several months after the younger Mutharika conceded that such confusion cost him the State Presidency in 2019 and has regretted losing that election ever since.
Whether APM can still command a majority vote in an election is a topic for another day, but the truth is the ongoing confusion in DPP only serves the ruling MCP and other parties better.
