Last week on this space I wrote that after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Peter Muthar ika had unvei led his running mate, people were waiting with baited breath to know who his biggest rival Malawi Congress Party leader Lazarus Chakwera would pick as his running mate.
I wrote that tongues were wagging about who that person is. Well, to cut a long story short, Chalwera picked hi s pick . “No other than Vitumbiko …” in the MCP leader’s own words. The expression ‘no other than’ means the MCP torch-bearer was not really spoilt for choice. He didn’t have tough time thinking about who to pick for the task from others who might have been waiting for a presidential phone call for the task. So congratulations to Engineer Vitumbiko AZ Mumba and all others who have had the honour to be picked as running mates from a multitude of over 20 million people.
To all candidates and their running mates, this is now the final lap of the race to Plot Number One. In just a month and seven days’ time, the nation will know the lucky pair. May I also congratulate the winning pair in advance? It is a competition, and a tough one for that matter, surely not for the fainthearted. But it is also a game of numbers, resources and strategies. The destination is 50 + 1. If no one gets to that threshold, the top pair will compete in a rerun.
This is the time there wi l l be scramble for al liances. Like it was in 2020 w hen MCP partnered eight other political parties while DPP made an electoral alliance with the United Democratic Front (UDF). The rest is history.
The only thing that has changed this time round is that the two top candidates from the first round of voting will not change running mates in the second runoff. May the winner be decided during the first round of voting!
During the 47 days remaining to the voting day, c andi dates and their supporters will do this country a favour to abide by the Code of Conduct that the Malawi Electoral Commission has been preaching to the stakeholders for a long time. The remaining days are for the candidates to sell themselves to the voters through their manifestos.
A large field of 20 people will be on the presidential ballot in this election, so why should Malawians vote for the UTM pair of Dalitso Kabambe and Matthews Mtumbuka and not that of Joyce Banda and Khumbo Kachali or that of Chakwera and Mumba and not Atupele Muluzi and Rex Kalolo? Indeed why not vote for the Anyamata, Atsikana, Azimayi torch-bearer and not Odil Chilungo or Smart Swira?
What will differentiate the candidates is their manifestos and how they ar t i c ulate or unpack them to the people. It is therefore important to simplify the issues in the manifestos. Promise realistic issues. An early bird catches the worm.
Apart from manifestos, it is also the political capital the candidates have that will give them that ex t ra vote. The candidates’ visibility to voters and the confidence the voters have in the candidates is another issue. Most importantly, it is what the candidates have already demonstrated they are capable of doing to potential voters that will make them carry the day.
For many candidates, the temptation at this point in time is always high to dish money to influence prospective voters. The law will catch up with you.
MEC a n d o t h e r electoral stakeholders have gone out of their way to impress on the candidates and their supporters to conduct issue-based campaigns, free of violence. That is very important. The per iod we have come from is not inspiring at all. It has been fraught with political violence and blood-letting. May the police do their work this time round as they have promised. Being the governing party, MCP should take the lead in ensuring a violence-free campaign.
To cap it al l, MBC TV, b e i ng a publ i c broadcaster and funded by the taxpayer, should level the playing-field for all candidates. So far, it has been uninspiring in some of its programmes. They should not forget there is tomorrow. We are in a democracy which thrives on and encourages healthy competition of ideas.
snhlane@mwnation.com; Cell: 0888833906
