Almost all the country’s political parties would want to make political alliances with other parties heading into a presidential election given an opportunity to do so. This is more so with the 50 + 1 requirement as well as the country’s political party polarisation based on region and other parameters.
But how and when to make public that a political party has decided to go into an electoral alliance requires great tact. You need to do so when the time is right so that after coming open no-one should scam or upstage you. Choosing and announcing an electoral alliance partner is as critical as selecting a presidential runningmate. It can make or break your political ambitions.
So when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) made headlines this week that it is in serious discussions with a suitor to partner with in the September 16 General Election, my understanding was that it has crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s.
While not disclosing the suitor, DPP secretary general Peter Mukhito went public saying the party is in its final stages of negotiations with its chosen electoral alliance bride.
UTM also made a similar announcement, albeit very much veiled. The party’s spokesperson Felix Njawala said his outfit was engaging various political stakeholders as part of the pre-election preparations— something we have heard from time immemorial.
On the other hand, the Alliance for Democracy (Aford), which has never hidden its stand that it will enter a political alliance, said it is ready to go into an electoral coalition. The party’s president, Enock Chihana said they want to work with those who believe in democracy and want to uplift the lives of Malawians.
Wi t h t h e D P P ’ s announcement, people would want to hear what the Malawi Congress Party (MCP)—so far, undisputedly one of the biggest political parties in the country—has up its sleeves on electoral alliances.
Then indeed, as expected come the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) with exactly what I thought it would do and say with the announcement from the blue camp.
Never short of a spin, MCP’s deputy spokesperson Ken Msonda went on a rooftop and with a loudspeaker saying DPP’s announcement that it was courting an alliance partner is an open admission that the party is too weak to win the elections alone.
Msonda went to town with the DPP’s message underscoring what he said his party has been telling Malawians all along that MCP is strong and that those who want to partner with it in the polls are welcome but the party is courting nobody and will win with or without such.
But take it from me. That is a podium statement and does not really reflect what the party is doing on the ground. Winning a political office is about numbers. The political party or candidate that garners the largest number of votes carries the day. And that does not come cheap. No serious political party with the ambition of being retained in power or winning the elections is currently sitting phwiii on its laurels hoping and believing all is well. They are busy out there canvassing for votes, including wooing partners.
Perhaps something to debate is whether or not announcing an electoral alliance four months to the elections is tactical. It depends. The advantage is that the parties have more time to work together and harmonise their manifestos and sensitise their supporters about them. This is what the Tonse Alliance failed to do about their manifestos during the running up to the court-sanctioned presidential election. They had no time for such. What they eventually promised Malawians was a hotchpotch of issues from both MCP and UTM, some implementable and others not. We all know the Tonse promises have boomeranged big time. They were not carefully consolidated and calibrated.
On the other hand, the downside of coming out early is the danger of being scammed and upstaged. Many are times when an alliance vehicle has come to a screeching halt and with the destination within sight because one of the wheeling partners has been attracted by the highest bidder. So political partners should approach alliances with caution.
snhlane@mwnation.com; Cell: 0888833906
