Politics of personal branding
The UTM party announced on Friday that it has withdrawn from the Tonse Alliance, which it had formed with the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). This decision followed an unsuccessful UTM Central Executive Committee meeting. Since the tragic plane crash that took the life of former vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others in Chikangawa, the UTM party, has been marked by chaos and disorganisation. This is contrary to Chilima’s character as a leader.
The party’s press briefings held since June 12 have revealed a noticeable void left by Chilima, with the party lacking coherence and consistency. At a recent press conference, there was a lack of unity among the party leaders, leading to conflicting statements from different officials. For example, the UTM Secretary General, Patricia Kaliati, announced the party’s resolution to withdraw from the alliance would be endorsed on 19th July 2024, which contradicted the statement made by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Felix Njawala.
This confusion and lack of leadership can be attributed to the party’s history of focusing on personal branding instead of building a strong organisational structure. UTM has been heavily reliant on Chilima’s leadership, and his absence has exposed the party’s struggle to maintain coherence and support.
However, there is still hope for the party. The current situation can be viewed as an opportunity for renewal and reform. By effectively managing the transition and fostering a collaborative environment, UTM can overcome the challenges of a leadership vacuum and potentially emerge stronger and more unified. But this will require making tough decisions, including momentarily putting on mute the party’s loudmouths, the ones that we have seen so far they lack the intelligence and wisdom to know when to speak and when to keep quiet.
It is rather hypocritical for UTM leaders to claim they respect Chilima when their actions run contrary to what Chilima believed in and preached by word and action. Honestly, UTM right now is a hot mess.
